


As Years Go By

by GDB123



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-05-21 09:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6046546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GDB123/pseuds/GDB123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank and Gerard meet at a daycare when they're six. They hit it off instantly, which shocks both of their mothers, so they stay in touch. They end up growing up together as best friends, once they get older they start to realize their feelings might be more than just friendly.<br/>(Each chapter will be a different age)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Age Six

"Gee, honey do you have your lunch box?" Mrs. Way called out to her son, who had hidden himself inside his bedroom closet.

"I'm not going!" Gerard shouted back stubbornly, hiding his face behind his knees like that would prevent her from finding him.

Mrs. Way had recently gotten a new job, and because of said job, Gerard had to go to daycare during the day until he started Kindergarten in September.

Mrs. Way sighed in response, and gathered up Gee's things, including his lunchbox, and made her way into his room.

Gerard's signature hiding place was his closet, so she knew exactly where he was, and luckily she knew exactly how to get him out.

"Gerard... if you give daycare a chance, I'll buy you ice cream.."

Gerard's ears perked up instantly, and he slowly peeked his head out of the closet, eyeing his mother with wide eyes.

"Promise?" She nodded, sending her son a sweet smile. "W-With sprinkles?"

"I'll tell you what, if you come out of the closet, and at least try to have a good day at daycare, I'll let you get whatever you want on the ice cream."

Gerard's eyes widened even more, and he slowly crawled out of the closet.

"Promise? Pinky promise? No take backs?"

Mrs. Way smiled and held out her pinky, ready to seal her promise for the ice cream.

Gerard was on his feet instantly, his short legs rushing over to his mother, a wide grin plastering his face as they hooked pinky's.

"I'm gonna get chocolate, and sprinkles, and hot fudge, ooo hot fudge!" 

Mrs. Way listened to Gerard ramble on about what he was going to get, and pulled him into her lap, attempting to fix his crazy hair with her hands.

"But mommy..." Gerard whispered, his head low, his wide eyes staring up at her. "I'm scared."

"What are you scared of?" She frowned, moving her hands to Gerard's back, rubbing it soothingly like he loved.

"W-What if something happens to you? What if I never see you again? What if-"

His sentence was cut off with a sob, and he began to cry, the tears flooding down his cheeks like a river.

"Oh, honey." She sighed, hugging her son against her chest. "Nothing is gonna happen to mommy, you don't have to worry."

"B-But how do you know? I- I won't be able to protect you at the daycare- I can't make sure you're safe-"

"Oh, baby." She whispered, now feeling emotional herself. "You don't have to protect me, I promise I'll be okay."

Gerard pulled away from the embrace, and gazed at his mother with tear stained cheeks, and a quivering bottom lip. 

She kissed his stained cheek softly, and he quickly wrapped his arms around her neck, and wrapped his legs around her waist.

"It's time to go now.." She whispered, picking up the emotional boy, along with their things, and headed towards their front door.

Gerard was quiet the whole car ride there, silently staring out the window while he gently kicked his feet against his car seat.

He was never away from his mother, he was always with her during the day, and then with her and his father during the night.

He was convinced he was her body guard of sorts, protecting her from danger throughout the day, but now they would be separated, and no one would be able to protect her.

He was also scared of the other children, he didn't really have friends, and he was afraid to make them.

Too soon they arrived at the daycare, and Gerard was now terrified. 

The building looked scary to him, what if it was haunted? What if he got lost? What if they locked him in the basement?

"Mommy..." He whimpered, squeezing her hand as they walked through the parking lot. "I don't wanna..."

"Just remember the ice cream, anything you want, you can even get like, brownies in it!"

That of course diverted Gerard's attention, but only for a few moments, as when they walked inside the building, his fears were back.

There were kids everywhere, running around, yelling, it overwhelmed Gerard.

"Hi, this is my son's first day, I'm Donna Way and he is Gerard Way." Donna spoke to the lady at the desk, ignoring the frightened grasp her son had on her hand.

"Aw, little Gerard Way!" The lady gushed loudly, leaning over to see him. "We're very excited for you to join us!" 

Gerard cowered away instantly, hiding behind his mothers leg, and hiding his face against the back of her thigh.

"He's shy." Donna commented, signing the few pieces of paperwork left for Gerard.

The door opened then, and another mother and little boy walked in. 

Gerard glanced back at them, and his attention was instantly caught by the little boy, he was holding Gerard's favorite comic book.

The little boy noticed Gerard staring, and Gerard quickly turned away, once again hiding his face against his mothers thigh.

"Okay, honey, it's time for mommy to go."

"No!" He gasped, clutching onto his mothers pants as she turned around to face him. "You can't leave me here! I don't want ice cream! I just wanna be with you!" 

"Gee..." She sighed, kneeing down to his level. She went to speak, but then noticed the boy and his mother behind them.

They made eye contact, and the other mother sent Gerard's a look of 'been there', and an encouraging smile.

"Gerard, why don't you go talk to that little boy? Look he has a comic book, you love superheros!"

Gerard glanced shyly at the boy, who in return frowned and glanced down at his comic, clutching it protectively against his chest.

"Now Frankie." The other mother spoke, leaning down to the boys level. "This is his first day, won't you be nice and show him around? You both like comics, I'm sure you'll be great friends."

Frankie looked unsure, but he didn't want to upset his mother, so he slowly took a step forward, and reached his hand out for Gerard.

Gerard eyed his hand nervously, before panicking and lunging into his mothers arms.

"It's okay, Gerard, he's a nice boy." She kissed the top of his head. "Mommy has to leave now, go and play with Frankie."

Donna slowly peeled Gerard's arms off of her, and turned him around to look at Frankie, who still had his hand extended.

Gerard was nervous, but his mother had said Frankie was a nice boy, and he trusted her, so he slowly took his hand.

Both mom's had assumed Frankie was reaching out for a handshake, but he never released Gerard's hand, he held it firmly in his, and led him deeper into the daycare.

"I'll show you where all the action figures are." Frankie smiled, leading Gerard through a mass of children.

Gerard glanced back at his mother nervously, who in return smiled sweetly at him, before blowing a kiss and leaving the daycare.

"Batman is mine." Frankie explained, letting Gerard's hand go as he opened the trunk of toys. "But you can have Spiderman."

"What about Robin?" Gerard questioned timidly, gazing into the trunk of toys. 

"Batman and Robin go together, that means Robin is mine too." 

"Oh." Gerard frowned, disappointment clear in his voice. "Okay.."

Frank collected the toys, before rushing off into another area, Gerard following behind quickly. 

For a while Gerard just watched Frank play with his toys, feeling a bit sad that he couldn't play with Robin.

Frank didn't notice at first either, he usually played alone, and wasn't used to the company.

He finally did notice, when Gerard sniffled quietly.

Gerard wanted to go home, he wanted to go be with his mom, he didn't want to be with some little boy who wouldn't share his toys.

"What's wrong?" Frank frowned, pausing his game to look at Gerard.

"Wanna go home." Gerard whimpered. "I want my mommy."

Frank frowned again, this time gazing down at his toys.

He remember his first day here a week or so ago, he remembered missing his mommy too, and he felt sorry for Gerard.

"Will Batman help?" He questioned, not really wanting to give up his toy. "Or Robin?"

"I- I like Batman.." Gerard responded shyly, gazing at the other from under his teary eyelashes.

Frank sighed and scooted closer to Gerard, stubbornly handing the toy to him.

Gerard accepted it timidly, staring at it for a moment before speaking.

"But Batman is yours..."

"Yeah he is." Frank agreed, nodding his head. "But I don't want you to be sad."

"Thank you.." Gerard replied shyly, a small smile forming on his face as he scooted closer to Frank, so their bodies were touching.

Gerard decided he liked Frank.

"Okay, so Batman and Robin are-" Frank went on to explain the game, and the 'mission' Batman and Robin were on, and Gerard was eager to jump into the scenario.

They played for a long time, laughing and giggling at little jokes they made, shoving each other playfully when the other did something wrong.

Frank decided he liked Gerard, too.

"Batman, she needs our help!" Cried out Frank, his Robin action figure rushing over to a little princess doll, who represented an innocent citizen.

"We'll save you!" Gerard declared, his Batman figure following Frank's, where they attempted to lift the princess doll, rushing her to safety away from the bad guys.

"We did it, Batman!" Frank gushed, making his action figure hug Gerard's. "We're heroes!"

"Frankie?" Gerard spoke timidly. "Can we play Batman and Robin, like as us?"

Frank's eyes lit up at the mention of that, like it was the greatest game plan ever.

"Yes!" He squealed, quickly looking around the room to find someone to play the victim they had to save. "Hayley! Pretend you're in trouble and Batman and Robin have to save you!"

The little girl with messy hair looked at him curiously, before nodding her head quickly.

"Batman!" She shrieked, running to a corner. "Batman, Robin, help!!"

Frank leap to his feet, standing in a proud pose, with his hands on his hips, and his head held high.

"Don't worry citizen! We will save you!!" He lifted his fist to the air, before running towards her.

Gerard was quick to follow, his fists clenched as he prepared to fight off imaginary enemies.

"You can't hurt her!" Gerard shouted, punching and kicking through the air, imagining bad guys falling to the ground at his hand.

Frank grinned widely and began mimicking Gerard, fighting off imaginary enemies while protecting Hayley.

"Gerard, look out!" Frank gasped as an imaginary enemy snuck up behind him.

Gerard gasped loudly and ducked, letting Frank take out the imaginary bad guy.

"Frankie!" Gerard shrieked as another enemy took advantage of Frank protecting Gerard to try and hit him over the head.

Gerard leap to his feet again, tackling the enemy and saving Frank before the bad guy had a chance to hurt him.

Once Gerard had 'killed' the bad guy, he jumped up and Frank and him stood back to back, making sure no one could sneak up on them again.

They continued fighting off the enemies until they were both left breathless and panting; deciding then that there were no more enemies.

"My heroes!" Hayley cried, pulling the two into a hug. "You saved my life!!"

She then kissed their cheeks, and Gerard blushed, while Frank shrieked and wiped his cheek instantly, whining about cooties.

Hayley just giggled and skipped away, ready to play her next game.

Frank and Gerard started to giggle as well, gazing into each others eyes like they were the bestest friends.

"I like you, Gerard." Frank smiled. "You can play with Batman whenever you want."

"I like you too, Frankie." Gerard giggled, his cheeks a light shade of red. "We can share."

Frank nodded his head with a bright smile against his lips, and him and Gerard rushed off to play some more.

Frank eventually made his way towards the front door, which was being 'guarded' by the lady who checked Gerard in.

"What are we doing?" Gerard questioned as Frank pressed himself up against the wall, trying to make himself invisible to the woman.

"We're breaking out of this place!" He hissed quietly, peeking his head around the corner to eye the woman. "You gotta distract her!"

"How am I suppose to do that?" Gerard frowned, trying to be sneaky like Frank was.

"I dunno, run around screaming. I'll get out, get help, and then we'll come back for you."

Gerard nodded in understanding, and ran out into the open, looking panicked.

He wasn't really sure what he was going to do, but he figured it would come to him naturally.

"Miss! Miss!" He cried out, catching her attention.

He didn't know what to do after that though, so he panicked, and just started screaming at the top of his lungs.

The woman jumped in surprised, before quickly rushing over to him.

"Honey, what's wrong?" She questioned, looking him over for any injuries.

He stopped screaming as he watched Frank make a B line to the door, his heart racing as Frank got closer and closer.

But just as Frank was about to escape, another worker scooped him up, carrying him back into the play room.

"Not today, Frankie."

"I'm gonna get out!" He yelled, kicking his feet. "And I'm taking Gerard with me!"

"The only place you two are going is nap time, so why don't you show little Gerard to the nap time room?"

Frank huffed and straightened out his shirt as the woman put him down, but mumbled a 'fine' anyways.

Frank grabbed Gerard wrist and led him into another room, where there were other kids setting up their napping mats.

"M' not tired." Gerard whined, grabbing the same items as Frank.

"Me neither." He pouted, setting up his little napping area. "This place is a jail!"

Gerard was starting to get scared as well, because he didn't like the dark, and he didn't have his night light, or teddy bear.

He didn't want Frank to know he was scared though, so he just confidently made his own bed, ignoring the fear that was creeping up inside him.

"H-How long do we gotta nap?" Gerard stuttered out, kicking off his shoes to climb under his blanket

"For hours!" Frank groaned dramatically, throwing his blanket over himself.

He was being overly dramatic, and nap time was only for an hour, but in his defense, an hour to a six year old did seem extremely long.

"Oh.." Gerard whispered, pulling his blanket up to his chin. "Okay.."

Frank didn't notice Gerard's fear, so he simply nodded, and rolled onto his side facing Gerard.

Suddenly the lights went off, and Frank snuggled into his blankets, popping his thumb into his mouth.

"Don't tell my mom" He giggled. "I'm not suppose to suck my thumb no more."

Gerard just nodded, too afraid to speak.

"What's wrong?" Frank frowned around his thumb, eyeing his new friend with concern.

"N-Nothing.." Gerard lied, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Are you scared?" Frank questioned, raising an eyebrow at the other.

"No way!" Gerard squeaked out, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"It's okay." Frank assured, scooting his little bed closer to Gerard. "The dark is scary."

Gerard just nodded in response, his hands clutching his blanket.

Frank used to be scared of the dark, and he understood why Gerard was afraid... but he didn't want him to be, so he reached out his hand, and clasped it over Gerard's.

Gerard opened his eyes and gazed over at Frank through the dark, his body starting to relax.

"What are you doing?" Gerard questioned softly, opening his hand slowly so he could hold Frank's properly.

"So you're not scared." Frank explained, squeezing his hand softly.

"Oh.." Gerard smiled, moving closer to Frank. "Thanks."

Frank just hummed in response, and soon they fell asleep, hand in hand.

When it was lunch time, they swapped their snacks, because Gerard liked the crackers, and Frank liked the pretzels; but they each got the opposite.

They were together for the rest of the day, and when it came time to go, their mothers showed up at the same time.

"Mommy!" Gerard squealed, leaving Frank for the first time that day to rush over to his mother. "Mommy I missed you!!"

"Oh, my Geebear." She smiled, lifting the little boy up onto her hip, where he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "How was is?"

"I made a friend!" He announced proudly, looking over at Frank. "Frankie!"

Frank smiled up at him, while he grabbed his own mothers hand.

"Will Gerard be back?" Frank questioned shyly, looking up at Mrs. Way. "I like him."

"He'll be back tomorrow." She smiled down at him, then glanced at his mother. "I'm Donna, by the way."

"Linda." Frank's mother replied, smiling and shaking Donna's hand. "I'm glad to see our boys get along, Frankie doesn't usually get along with other boys."

"Mom!" Frank groaned, his cheeks turning red. "Don't tell them that!"

Gerard wasn't even fazed by it though, his mind was on the promise of ice cream, but now he wanted Frank to come too.

"Mommy, can Frankie come get ice cream with us too? Please?"

"Ice cream!?" Frank interrupted, gazing up at his mom. "Mommy can we go? Please, please, please?"

Linda sighed and gazed at her watch.

"I suppose we have some time before daddy gets home, but if we go get ice cream it's gotta be our little secret, okay?"

Frank jumped in delight and nodded his head frantically, grabbing his mothers hand and attempting to pull her out the door.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Linda asked Donna, while she held Frank back.

"Not at all, Gee seems to really like Frankie, and he really needs a friend, so why not. We're going to that little ice cream shop on 5th."

"We'll meet you there." Linda smiled, reaching down to pick up Frank before each family descended to their own car.

Gerard didn't shut up about Frank the entire car ride to the shop, he told his mom about Batman and Robin, and Hayley who they saved. And he told her about sharing his snacks at lunch because Frank liked his pretzels, and he liked Frank's crackers.

Frank had done the same thing to Linda as well, going on and on about how he didn't think he'd like Gerard at first, but then how much he did; and how much he enjoyed holding his hand at nap time.

Linda was very surprised at how much Frank liked Gerard, because he tended to be different than the other children, and he tended to avoid them because of that.

She decided she wanted to get to know Donna more, that way him and Gerard could hopefully see each other more outside of daycare.

Once they reached the shop, and Donna had undone Gerard's car seat, Gerard jumped from the car, eagerly looking around for his new friend.

Frank had done the same a few moments later, and they both smiled widely and waved at each other as they made eye contact.

Gerard grabbed his mothers hand and quickly made his way over to Frank, where they began chatting instantly.

"Do you like sprinkles? I like sprinkles, my favorite is the blue ones."

"I love sprinkles!" Frank giggled. "My favorite is the blue ones, too."

"We're gonna get lots of blue sprinkles, okay!" Gerard exclaimed, releasing his mothers hand to grab Franks. "We can get green sprinkles too!"

"Ooo, ooo, ooo! Can we get fudge too?" Frank questioned with wide excited eyes. "And whip cream?"

"Yes!" Gerard squealed, rushing over and gazing through the plate glass protecting the tubs of ice cream.

Him and Frank looked over the many ice cream flavors, while their mothers stayed back, watching the two while chatting.

"I've never see Frank like someone so much." Linda whispered, not wanting to catch her son's attention. "He really likes little Gee."

"Really? I'm surprised by their fast friendship as well, Gee is usually so shy, he doesn't have any friends."

"Maddy told me that when she checked on the kids during nap time, they were holding hands and snuggling."

"Nap time?" Donna frowned, not realizing that was a thing. "Oh my, I wish I had known, Gee is afraid of the dark."

They realized that Frank must of been trying to comfort him, and that warmed both of their hearts.

"Mommy! Come on, let's get our ice cream!!" Gerard urged, turning around and sending his mother an inpatient gaze.

Frank and Gerard got the exact same toppings, only with different flavored ice cream.

Gerard got chocolate, and Frank got vanilla. 

"Mmm!" Gerard hummed happily as he scooped a big spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, with Frank next to him, and their mothers across from them.

Linda and Donna decided to take this opportunity to try and get to know each other better, taking advantage of their young boys being distracted by the ice cream.

It turns out they live in the same neighborhood, merely blocks away from each other.

And it turns out that Frank and Gerard were both starting Belleville elementary school next month.

It was a very small school, and they only had one kindergarten class, so Frank and Gerard would be in the same classroom all year.

They decided to keep that information from the boys for now, they wanted to wait and surprise them it later.

"Frankie?" Gerard questioned as he gazed at Franks little cup of ice cream. "Can I try some of yours?"

Frank frowned and gazed down at his ice cream, not wanting to share. But then he looked back up at Gerard, and the little sparkle of hope in Gerard's eyes changed his mind.

"Kay." He nodded, sliding his cup towards Gerard. "But now I get some of yours."

"Kay." Gerard smiled, sinking his chocolate covered spoon into Frank's vanilla ice cream.

Linda was almost convinced she was dreaming, because Frank never shared with anything, especially not ice cream.

Both boys hummed in delight as they tasted the new ice cream, and then switched the cups back.

"Again?" Gerard asked a few moments later, dying to taste more of the vanilla. 

"Switch!" Frank giggled, kicking his feet as the sugar kicked in. 

They switched cups again, giggling the entire time as they continued sharing.

"Brain freeze!" Frank shrieked, his hands coming up to cup the sides of his head painfully." Ow ow ow!!"

"Put your thumb on the roof of your mouth!" Gerard instructed quickly, like this was a life or death situation.

Frank complied instantly, a few moments later sighing in relief as the pain went away.

He didn't remove his thumb though, instead he began sucking on it instinctively, even though he knew his mother would be angry.

"Frank." Linda snapped softly. "Stop sucking on your thumb."

"Mama just one minute, okay?" He mumbled around his thumb, relaxing back against his chair. "Just wanna do it for a minute."

"Frank." She spoke, her disciplining voice slipping through. "Now."

"Mama-"

"Now."

He let out a huff before finally removing his thumb, and crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Good boy, now finish your ice cream."

Frank didn't touch his ice cream though, because he was upset, instead he just stared at Gerard who was licking away at his spoon.

The only thing Frank wanted to do was mess with Gerard, because that's what he did when he was upset; he messed with people.

So the next time Gerard scooped up another chunk of ice cream and lifted it to his mouth, Frank shoved Gerard's arm, making the ice cream smear all over his nose.

"Frankie!" Gerard gasped, dropping his spoon on the table. "Why did you do that!"

"Frank!" Linda snapped. "Apologize to him right now."

"Sorry." Frank smiled, grabbing a napkin and dabbing it over Gerard's nose. 

"Why did you do that?" Gerard sniffled, the unexpected action upsetting him. 

"Cuz I like you." Frank giggled quietly. "But I don't want my mom to know, because then she'll want me to like everyone."

Frank was trying to be quiet, so his mother wouldn't hear him, but he was six, and it was impossible for a six year old to be quiet.

Frank wasn't lying, granted he wasn't telling the full truth either, but he wasn't lying.

He did like Gerard, and he was afraid of his mother expecting him to be nice to everyone, just because he was nice to Gee.

He had a reputation to uphold.

"That's mean." Gerard mumbled, so tempted to dump the rest of his ice cream on Frank's head. 

"I'm mean." Frank spoke out loud, shrugging his shoulders. 

It was all a show for his mother though, and he discretely grabbed Gerard's hand under the table, showing the other that he didn't mean it.

Gerard just smiled shyly, and then they finished their ice cream.

-

Several weeks later they were in the same kindergarten class together, sitting side by side while they learned their ABC's.

They were both so excited when they learned that they were in the same class, their mothers told them one night at dinner a week or two after their ice cream date.

They had decided to have dinner together, that way Gerard and Frank's fathers could meet, and then they could all get to know each other better.

They all became fast friends, and because of that, Frank and Gerard got to see each other a lot more.

And then they grew closer as well, so close that Frank didn't mind sharing Batman anymore.

"Gee, what comes after 'F'?" Frank whispered to his best friend, stumped on his assignment.

"You just said it." Gerard giggled, finding it amusing that the first letter of his name came after the first letter of Frank's. "It's 'Gee'!"

"Oh." Frank giggled. "I'll remember that, it's like Frankie and Gee!" 

Frank smiled and quickly scribbled it down onto his paper.

"Mommy said that you're comin' over after school, cuz your moms working late." Gerard spoke up a few minutes later, excited that his best friend was coming over after school.

Even though he was practically there everyday, or vice versa.

"I come over anyways!" Frank giggled, kicking his friends foot with his own. "Didn't you just get Mario Kart?"

"Mhm." Gerard hummed, finishing up his assignment. "I'm real good at it."

"I'm probably better." Frank scoffed, discretely looking over his friends paper, coping the answers. 

Gerard only rolled his eyes in response, and relaxed back against his chair, ready for the next assignment.

The rest of the day dragged on the same, Gerard doing his work, and Frank copying it. But before he knew it Gerard was rushing into his mothers arms, hugging her tightly as she picked up him and Frank from school.

"Mommy, I learned the ABC's!" He exclaimed. "A,B,C,D,E-"

"F!" Frank interrupted loudly. "Like Frankie! And then 'g' like Gee!"

Donna smiled and lifted Gerard up to rest on her hip, and then she grabbed Frank's hand, leading them to her car parked on the side of the street. 

She buckled them into their seats, before starting the car and starting their short journey home.

The boys talked the whole ride, rambling on and on about what they learned that day, or about what they were going to learn tomorrow. 

Donna just smiled and listened to their conversation, enjoying the fact that her little boy finally had a friend.

When they finally made it back to their house, she fixed up their afternoon snacks, and told them to go into the living room. 

"Gee, I bet you I'll beat you at Mario Kart!" Frank exclaimed as he jumped on the couch next to his best friend.

"What do I get if I win?" Gerard questioned with his eyebrows raised, and arms crossed.

"Umm, if you win you can have my afternoon snack, and if I win, I can have yours."

"Deal." Gerard grinned, handing his friend the other controller. "But you're so going down."

Gerard ended up giving over his afternoon snack to Frank, because he did indeed lose. Frank gloated the rest of the day, making it a point to chew loudly in Gerard's face.

Gerard just sat cross legged on the couch with his arms crossed as Frank continued to rant about how yummy his cookie was.

Now Gerard wasn't a sore loser, so he didn't pout, he didn't complain, he just sat on the couch with his head low, waiting for Frank to shut up.

"I told you I'd win!"

"Congrats, Frankie." Gerard replied, forcing a smile in Franks direction.

Suddenly Gerard's stomach rumbled loudly, and Frank was pulled from his selfish thoughts.

"Are you hungry, Gee?" Frankie questioned quietly, half of the cookie still in his hand.

Gerard nodded slowly, gazing over at Frank through his tangled hair.

Frank frowned and looked down at the cookie, he really wanted to eat it, but he really didn't want Gerard to be hungry.

After much debate with himself he held the cookie out to Gerard, stubbornly avoiding his gaze.

"But you won?" Gerard questioned with a frown.

"Yeah, and I'm the bestest video game player, and you better not forget that. Now eat the cookie."

Gerard smiled shyly and grabbed the cookie from Frank, leaning over and placing a quick kiss on his cheek in the process.

"What's that for?" Frank blushed, his finger tips running over the spot Gerard had just kissed.

"Mommy always does that to daddy when he does something nice, I think it means thank you. I was thanking you."

"Oh." He giggled, then leaned in and mimicked Gerard's previous action.

"What're you thanking me for?" Gerard asked as he felt his cheek tingle, giggling quietly to himself.

"I wanted to thank you too." Frank smiled. "For being my bestest friend."


	2. Age Nine

Frank and Gerard's mothers finally decided the boys were old enough to go to the park alone, and two boys were more than thrilled with their new found freedom.

They were allowed to ride their bikes down to the park, but they had to be home before the sun set, which gave them a few hours at least.

Frank was more excited than Gerard, Gerard was a little scared of being away from an adult, whereas Frank was ready to do whatever he wanted.

Granted there wasn't a lot a nine year old boy could do, Frank was still excited to do whatever he had been doing previously, without an adult supervisor.

Gerard on the other hand was worried he'd get kidnapped, or someone would murder them in the park, or some other tragic event leading to his demise.

"Let's go!" Frank exclaimed, quickly retrieving his bike. "We're big kids now!"

"Okay..." Gerard responded quietly, grabbing his bike with less enthusiasm.

"I can't wait to swing on the swings with you." Frank giggled. "We can go as high as we want!"

Gerard was still extremely nervous, so he didn't respond, instead he hopped on his bike, and followed his best friend down the road.

Gerard gazed back at Frank's house as they got further away, and contemplated turning back.

But Frank was excited, ecstatic actually, and Gerard didn't want to ruin his fun.

So he just followed behind, listening to his friend go on and on about the swing set.

The swing set was Frank's favorite, he loved flying through the air, he loved the wind in his face, it made him feel like he could do anything.

But Frank's dreams were crushed as the park came into view... there were big kids on the swings.

He let out a huff as Gerard stopped behind him, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.

The big kids we intimidating, and Gerard wanted nothing to do with them.

"Do you think they'll leave soon?" Frank asked, trying to hide the disappoint in his voice. 

"I dunno." Gerard shrugged. "Maybe we should just play on the playground.."

"But I wanted the swings!" Frank whined, stomping his foot against the ground like the angry 9 year old he was. "It's not fair."

"Maybe if we asked nicely, they'll let us use the swings?"

"They're big kids, Gerard." Frank sighed. "They're douche bags."

"Frankie!" Gerard gasped, shocked at his friends inappropriate use of words. "That's a bad word!"

"Don't tell my mom." Frank smirked, still eyeing the big kids while he thought of a way to get them to leave.

He must of thought of one though, because a second later he tossed his bike onto the ground, and started stalking towards the swings.

"Frank!" Gerard hissed, willing his friend to stop. "Don't!"

Frank ignored him though, and continued his journey to the swing set with his fists clenched at his sides, and his head held high.

Gerard was panicking now, the big kids looked mean, and he was afraid Frank would get hurt.

"I would like a turn on the swings." Frank spoke, trying to sound as confident as possible.

The older kids didn't even notice him until he spoke, and the look they gave him made Gerard's body to jump into action, and he rushed over to his friend.

"I'm sure you would." One of them sneered, leaning down so he was eye level with Frank. "Too bad the swings belong to the big kids."

"No they don't!" Frank snapped, his face tinting red with anger.

Frank was definitely a hot head, and Gerard was worried he was going to get them into trouble.

"Why don't you go find your mommy, little boys?" 

"We're not little!" Frank snapped again, this time taking a step towards the older kid.

Gerard grabbed his arm though, preventing him from moving anymore.

"Aw," the boy laughed. "Short stack is getting upset."

Frank was shorter than the average 9 year old, and he was sensitive about it.

Frank turned to face Gerard, his face red with anger, eyes wide with fury.

"I'm gonna kill him." 

The other kids just laughed, while Gerard tightened his grip on Frank's arm.

"Frankie... we can come back another time." Gerard tried, pleading with his eyes for his friend to calm down.

Frank just let out a breath and turned back to the older kids. "This isn't over."

Then he stormed away, Gerard on his heels as they went back to their bikes.

"This is so stupid!" Frank ranted as he climbed back onto his bike. "Why do big kids even want swings? Don't they have like girlfriends and stuff?"

"They're too mean for girlfriends." Gerard shrugged, following Frank back to his house. "You gotta be nice to have a girlfriend. That's what my mom said."

"They're going to die alone then."

"I agree." Gerard nodded, pedaling his way back to Frank's house to play in his backyard instead. 

-

"Frank! Slow down, I can't keep up!" Gerard panted out as he struggled to pedal faster, trying to catch up to his best friend.

They were riding their bikes to the park like they do every day after school, and Frank was far ahead of Gerard, way too eager to get to the park to wait for his friend.

"The big kids will get the swings if we don't hurry!" Frank shouted back, somehow increasing his speed as he did so.

This had happened everyday since their first encounter with the big kids, and so far, the big kids always won.

"I'm dying!" Gerard cried out dramatically, settling for a speed much more comfortable for him, watching his friend disappear in the distance.

Frank continued speeding down the street, coming to a skidding stop once he caught sight of something down the dirt alley.

Frank continued to stare dreamily at what was there, and soon Gerard was stopped behind him, gazing curiously down the alley to find what had hypnotized his friend.

"Look at that sick bike jump!" Frank exclaimed, pointing to a pile of junk that would make an adequate yet dangerous bike jump.

Gerard had a feeling it was bad news, he had a feeling if he tried to go off of it he would get hurt.

"Frank, let's just go to the pa-"

"I bet you five dollars you won't jump that!"

Gerard frowned and crossed his arms, resting against the seat on his bike.

"That's not fair, it looks dangerous!" He defended. "And I bet you wouldn't do it either!"

The second those words left his lips he regretted them, because he knew Frank, and Frank never turned down a challenge.

"Watch me." Frank spoke and quickly took off down the alley, rapidly approaching the dangerous looking jump.

"Frank, no!" Gerard called out, and rushed after him.

Frank got there way faster than Gerard did, and before Gerard could even blink Frank had hit the jump.

For a second Gerard thought he was going to land it cleanly, but a second later Franks back tire hit a stray piece of junk, causing the bike to tilt forward, sending Frank face first into the dirt.

"Frank!" Gerard screamed, running as fast as he could to his friend, who was still on the ground clutching his arm tightly.

"Hurts-" Frank choked out, cradling his arm against his body. "I want my mom!"

The pain Frank felt was excruciating, and before he could stop it, he was crying.

"Mommy!" He wailed, kicking at the dirt in a pathetic attempt to make the pain stop.

Gerard was in full panic mode, being young and naive, he thought his friend was dying.

"Frankie don't die!" He shrieked, pulling the younger boy into his arms, attempting to run back to his house.

Completely disregarding their bikes.

Frank continued to sob, snuggling his face against Gerards chest.

Gerard ran as fast as he could with the other in his arms, and he didn't stop until he reached Franks house, despite the burning in his lungs and thighs.

"Mrs. Iero! Mrs. Iero!" Gerard screamed out as he entered their yard, clutching his friend against his body.

The front door swung open to a very concerned looking Mrs. Iero, who eyed her son and his bloody arm with wide eyes.

"Mommy!" Frank cried, "My arm hurts!"

"Oh, my baby!" She rushed, grabbing her keys and ushering them to her car. "Gerard, what happened?"

Gerard was surprised at how calm she seemed, Frank could be dying, and she was barely panicking!

"H-he fell of his bike a-and is he going to be okay?"

Mrs. Iero eyed Gerard through the rear view mirror, almost smiling at how concerned he looked.

"Honey, don't worry, Frank will be fine. He's just going to hurt for a while, I promise he will be okay."

Gerard wasn't sure, but he tried to calm down, because Mrs. Iero was an adult, and she would know if Frank was dying, right?

"Okay.." Gerard spoke quietly, still holding onto his friend gently.

Frank was still crying, Gerard was still panicking, and Mrs. Iero was praying her sons arm wasn't broken.

"Frankie baby, I'm going to drop Gerard off at home and then we're going to go to the hospital, okay?"

"No!" He shouted instantly. "Don't take Gee home! I need him, I'm scared!"

Frank clutched onto Gerards body with his uninjured arm, refusing to let his friend leave his side.

She eyed them in the mirror once more, the sight of the two boys clutching each other for dear life warming her heart.

She had never seen any one as close as those two were.

"Okay, baby. Gerard can come, it's going to be okay."

Frank looked up at Gerard, his face red and tear stained.

Franks pained face upset Gerard, and he couldn't help but lean closer to him and place a kiss on his cheek.

"Gerard?" Mrs. Iero questioned with an eyebrow raised.

Gerard jumped back, eyes wide staring back at Mrs. Iero through the mirror.

"Y-yes, ma'am?" He questioned shakily, was he in trouble?

"What was that?" She questioned softly, obviously not wanting to upset the boy further.

"I-I Daddy does that to mommy when she cries.. and it helps her stop crying... I don't want Frank to cry anymore.."

"Oh.." She grinned at him through the mirror. "That's sweet of you."

"Am I in trouble?" Gerard questioned with wide anxious eyes.

"No, sweetie, of course not."

Gerard sighed quietly to himself, relieved that he wasn't in trouble, and smiled down at Frank who had stopped crying.

"Maybe can you do the other side, too?" Frank questioned timidly. "Because that eye is still trying to cry.."

Gerard smiled brightly down at Frank before nodding, and leaning down to kiss the other cheek.

Frank smiled adoringly up at Gerard, and he didn't cry the rest of the ride to the hospital.

He did however, start crying once the doctor started to examine his arm.

Gerard hated seeing his friend in so much pain, each sob from Franks lips sent a sharp pain through Gerards heart.

"You're hurting him!" He cried out, a few tears slipping from his eyes. "Stop hurting Frankie!"

The doctor tried to calmly explain to Gerard what he was doing, but Gerard wouldn't listen.

Instead he clutched his friends hand, vowing to break him out of there.

Much to his dismay though, they didn't break out, and he had to watch his friend be tortured by the 'doctors' as they put a cast on his fractured arm.

Now they were in Franks hospital room, waiting for the doctor to come back with further instructions.

They were in there for ages though, and Frank began to fall asleep from some of the pain medication he was given.

Gerard yawned too, realizing just how tired his young self was, and Frank of course noticed the yawn.

Frank scooted over on the large hospital bed, and patted the empty side next to him, inviting Gerard to lay down with him.

Gerard climbed into the bed carefully, not wanting to hurt his friend.

Frank smiled as Gerard got comfy, and he put his non injured arm around him.

"I told you I would do it!" He exclaimed, the tiredness still evident in his voice. "And guess what? Now you owe me five bucks!"

"Frankie.." Gerard sighed, resting his head on his friends shoulder. "You broke your arm."

"But I still won!"

"You always do.."

The next thing Gerard knew he was waking up in his own bed, when his mother told him it was time for school.

"Where's Frankie?" Gerard gasped, having fallen asleep, and stayed asleep since the hospital. "Is he okay?"

"Frankie's fine, dear." Donna smiled, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Mrs. Iero will be dropping him off here soon, and then I'll drive you to school."

"Okay." Gerard smiled, hopping out of bed. "I hope his arm don't hurt anymore."

"He's going to be sore, Gerard, he won't be able to play like usual for a while."

Donna stood up and walked over to Gerard, helping him pick out his clothes for the day.

"But he'll still be able to play, right?" Gerard questioned as he pulled his pajama shirt over his head. 

"Of course, you'll just have to be gentle." She answered, helping him pull on his new T-shirt, then moving to his pants. "You might have to give him another kiss or two.."

Gerard's eyes widened at his mother, and his cheeks turned bright red.

"I- I-"

"It's okay, honey." Donna giggled to herself. "You're not in trouble."

Linda had told Donna all about their trip to the hospital, including the several cheek kisses, along with how Gerard thought he was in trouble.

Donna thought it was adorable, just like Linda had.

And she wondered if her little Gee had a crush on Frankie.

Gerard had never had a crush before, and if he did now, Donna was thrilled about it.

"I just didn't want him to cry no more.." Gerard explained. "It made him stop crying."

"Oh, my sweet boy." Donna smiled, cupping the side of her sons face. "Do you like Frankie?"

"Of course I like Frankie." Gerard frowned. "He's my best friend."

Donna just smiled and kissed her sons cheek, and soon Frank arrived.

"Frankie!" Gerard squealed, rushing into the living room once Linda and him entered.

Frank looked tired, and grumpy, and well in pain.

"My arm hurts." Frank groaned. "Gee why did you let me go off that bike jump?"

"I didn't!" Gerard gasped, rolling his eyes once he saw his friends playful smile. "Come here."

Frank moved closer to Gerard, and Gerard wrapped his arms around him gently.

Frank rested his head against Gerard's shoulder, and squeezed him tightly with his uninjured arm.

Gerard saw his mother standing behind them, and he remembered what she said about Frank needing more kisses; Gerard really liked kissing Frank's cheek, so that's exactly what he did.

"Gee!" Frank giggled, pulling away. "Stop it!"

He was giggling adorably though, and his cheeks had gone bright red. 

Not to mention he had the cutest smiled plastered on his face now.

Linda just smiled and made her way over to Donna, to inform her of Frank's pain medication. 

School didn't actually start for another hour or so, but Linda had to get to work, so she dropped Frank off early.

Donna didn't work until mid morning, so she took them to school, and then Linda picked them up.

Frank would need more medication before school started though, so she made sure to give Donna the medication along with the instructions.

She left after that though, so Donna began preparing breakfast while Frank and Gerard watched cartoons.

"Gee?" Frank questioned as he sat on the couch, his index finger idly tracing patterns over his cast.

"Yeah?"

"You think you could draw some stuff on my cast? You're such a good drawer, and my cast is so boring."

"Yes!" Gerard squealed, leaping off the couch to retrieve his markers. "I'm gonna draw Batman, kay?" Gerard smiled as he got back on the couch. 

"And Robin, right?"

"Of course!" Gerard giggled, popping the cap of his marker and getting to work instantly.

Frank smiled while he watched his friend doodle on his cast, Gerard's eyes narrow with concentration, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth just slightly.

Breakfast was done before Gerard was though, so he promised Frank he would finish the drawings after school.

Then they ate their breakfast together, and Frank took his pain medication.

-

School was pretty hectic, to say the least.

To a bunch of nine year old's, a broken arm was the most interesting thing they had ever seen.

Everyone asked Frank what had happened, and each time he made up some crazy story to make himself sound brave.

'I fought off a bear.' 

'Someone broke into our house and I saved my family.'

'I was in a roller coaster accident.'

They were all crazy stories, but the kids ate it up.

They all wanted to sign it too, and Frank told them they could, as long as they stayed away from Gerard's drawing.

Frank didn't care about their names on his cast, but he definitely cared about the drawings made by his best friend.

The pain medication lasted for most of the day, but towards the end of the day it started to wear off, and Frank became grumpy.

Frank and Gerard weren't in the same class anymore, so they didn't see each other until school was over, and by then, Frank was close to tears because of the pain.

"Frankie!" Gerard called out, catching the attention of his best friend. "Over here!"

Frank turned and made his way over to Gerard, clutching his broken arm against his chest.

Gerard frowned when he saw all the names and doodles on Frank's cast, because he thought his was covered up, or taken over.

"Is okay-" Frank spoke, turning his arm to show Gerard the large blank area around his drawings. "I didn't let them draw on yours, and I made them leave you lots of room."

"Oh." Gerard smiled, feeling better. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts." Frank whimpered, his head falling. "Hurts real bad."

Gerard opened his arms, and Frank quickly took advantage of his offer, leaning into the embrace instantly.

"I'm sorry." Gerard mumbled, rubbing his friends back soothingly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Kiss it better." Frank giggled, pulling away from the embrace to lift up his arm. "Helped last time.."

"You want me to kiss your cast?" Gerard questioned with a frown.

If Gerard was being honest, he'd much rather kiss Frank's cheek.

Frank merely nodded, his wide, and slightly teary eyes, staring back at Gerard.

Gerard sighed, but leaned in to kiss the cast anyways.

Frank smiled as Gerard pulled away, but was quickly surprised as Gerard leaned back in, and kissed his cheek.

"Gee.. " Frank whined, his whole body heating up. 

He'd be lying if he said he didn't like it though, because he did, it made him feel safe, and warm, and happy.

"Sorry." Gerard shrugged. "I like it, don't you like it?"

"Okay, fine." Frank sighed dramatically. "I like it too."

To prove his point, he leaned in and kissed Gerard's cheek as well, causing the other to giggle quietly, and blush violently.

After that Gerard hooked his arm with his best friend, and they went outside to find Frank's mom.

-

Frank was grumpy a lot over the course of healing, there was so many things he wasn't able to do anymore, and that made him upset.

He couldn't ride his bike anymore, seeing as his mother didn't want him to hurt himself more.

He couldn't play basketball correctly, he couldn't climb trees, and because of the big kids, he still couldn't swing.

Gerard tried his best to distract his friend, he was constantly making up games that they could play, or drawing Frank pictures.

Frank loved Gerard's pictures, and he loved watching him draw them; something about how focused Gerard got, or how excited he got when he was done, just made Frank's heart happy.

Frank probably had 50 drawings of Batman from Gerard, but that didn't stop him from asking for more.

Batman was Frank's favorite, so whenever Gerard asked him what he wanted, he'd say Batman.

Gerard would be lying if he said he hadn't grown slightly bored of drawing Batman, but he decided that if it made Frank happy, he'd do it forever.

Frank had them hung up all over his walls, and he was starting to run out of room.

But again, that didn't stop him from asking for more.

Besides for the drawings and made up games, they spent a lot of their time watching movies.

Gerard didn't want to do anything Frank wasn't able to, so he refrained from riding his bike, or any of the other activities Frank missed.

Frank only had the cast on for about six weeks, but by the end of those six weeks, both boys were ready to go crazy from boredom. 

Luckily though promises from their parents kept them going.

Linda promised to take the boys to the arcade after Frank's cast was off, and Donna promised to take them to an indoor water park.

If it weren't for those promises, neither boy would have survived the wait.

But at last, it was the day Frank got his cast off.

He had the same doctor as before, and Gerard gave him the stink eye the entire time.

This doctor had hurt Frankie last time, so Gerard didn't trust him, even if Mrs. Iero assured him he was a good guy.

Frank was scared as well, considering what happened last time, which didn't help Gerard's nerves.

"Don't worry." Gerard whispered. "If he hurts you, we'll break out of here."

Surprisingly to the both of them, it didn't hurt Frank when he got the cast off. 

It did however, hurt later on after they left.

Frank hadn't used his arm muscles in weeks, and now that he was, it hurt really bad.

Not only that, but Franks skin was dry and itchy, but he was told not to itch it, because he'd break the skin.

Needless to say, the first day with the cast off was not as spectacular as Frank had expected it to be.

He spent the day with aching muscles, and loads and loads of lotion.

The lotion helped the itch, but nothing would help his aching muscle.

Gerard tried to help Frank as much as he could, but as mentioned before, nothing would help the ache.

So instead he just laid with him in his bed, Gerard's arm wrapped around Frank tightly as he fought through the pain.

And of course, Gerard placed a kiss on Frank's head, hoping to at least distract him a little bit.

"Thanks, Gee." Frank whispered, snuggling his head against Gerard's chest. 

"Of course." Gerard smiled. "You're my best friend, I'd do anything for you."

"You're my best friend, too." Frank giggled quietly, starting to feel sleepy. "I love you, Gee."

They had never exchanged such words, but Frank meant it as much as a nine year old could, and he wanted Gerard to know.

Gerard smiled, all silly and cute, because he loved Frank too.

Whether it be friendly affection, or potentially something more, they did love each other.

"I love you, too."


	3. Age Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard and Frank start middle school, Gerard has a tougher time fitting in than Frank.  
> (Gerard get's bullied so warning for like, hateful words and such)

Frank and Gerard were both ecstatic to start middle school, Frank was excited for the music classes, and Gerard was excited for the art classes.

Sure they had those things in elementary school, but there wasn't a class completely dedicated to their interest.

Now Gerard would get to spend an hour everyday learning about art, and making art.

Frank could finally learn how to write music, and maybe even learn to play the guitar better.

-

"We don't have any classes together." Gerard frowned, gazing down at the schedule he had received the day before school. 

Frank and Gerard had been in the same class the past two years, Gerard wasn't sure how he'd do without his best friend.

"Man, who am I gonna copy off of now?" Frank sighed, shaking his head.

Gerard laughed and smacked his arm, scolding his best friend.

"We have lunch together, at least." Frank spoke. "And we can see each other in between classes?"

"I guess you're right." Gerard sighed, walking over to his backpack and packing his schedule away. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Don't be!" Frank smiled, following Gerard and wrapping his arm around his shoulder. "Everyone will love you."

"Easy for you to say." Gerard laughed nervously, leaning into his friend. "Everyone really does love you."

"Oh, that's not true." Frank laughed, shaking his head. "I just scare them, so they pretend to love me."

"You are pretty scary."

"Screw you!" Frank laughed, shoving Gerard away from him. "I'll show you scary!"

Frank pulled the most horrendous face he could, and lunged at Gerard, tackling him to the floor and pinning him down.

"Grr!" Frank growled. "Scary grr!"

Gerard couldn't even form a response, he was laughing too hard, squirming under his best friend.

"Frank!" He choked out, his cheeks red from laughter. "Stop! Oh my god, stop!"

"Are you scared?" Frank questioned, showing his pearly white teeth.

"Petrified." Gerard giggled, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to catch his breath.

Gerard smiled up at his best friend, feeling extremely grateful in that moment, because without Frank, Gerard would probably be a nervous wreck right now.

But he wasn't, instead he felt happy, and warm, and ready to take on the day tomorrow.

Frank could tell Gerard was feeling better, which was his goal in the first place, so he smiled brightly, and leaned down to hug him.

"Thank you, Frank." Gerard sighed, wrapping his arms around Frank. "I dunno what I'd do without you."

"Well," Frank giggled, climbing off of Gerard. "You probably wouldn't get in trouble so much, and you'd probably have better grades, and-"

"Frank-" Gerard interrupted, laughing quietly. "All those things are so worth it if I get to call you my best friend."

-

The day started out fine, despite Gerard being a nervous wreck, and he made it to lunch without any incident.

So far he liked his teachers, and the classes didn't seem too hard, his only fear were the students.

There were a group of older boys who seemed to always be around in the hallway, and they kept sending him dirty looks, and it scared him.

He hadn't made any new friends, but he hadn't really tired, either.

He was just shy, and everyone was so different here.

In Elementary school he knew everyone, he grew up with everyone; these were all strangers.

"Frank!" Gerard called out, locating his best friend from across the cafeteria.

Frank caught his gaze and smiled, before making his way over, and hugging Gerard.

They got their food after that, Gerard got a chicken sandwich, and Frank got a salad. Frank had made a few friends throughout the day, and so they sat with them.

Gerard didn't really connect with the two boys or girl Frank had befriended, so he just sat quietly and ate his lunch while Frank chatted with them.

Gerard was a little jealous of Frank's new friends, but he tried not to be.

It was just hard because for as long as he could remember, frank was his friend, and Frank paid attention to him only.

Now he was barely paying any attention at all, and Gerard didn't know how else to feel than jealous and sad.

Frank could always tell when Gerard was sad though, and as crazy as it was, it was like he could sense it. Whenever Gerard felt sad, Frank had this uneasy feeling, and he finally realized it only happened when Gerard was sad.

"You okay?" Frank whispered, his other friends in their own conversation, not noticing them.

"Mhm." Gerard nodded quickly, his head down as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"Gerard.." Frank pushed, leaning his head down so he could make eye contact with Gerard, but Gerard quickly looked away, trying to fool Frank. "You are a terrible liar."

"I just-" Gerard sighed, setting his sandwich down. "Everything is changing, and I don't like it.."

"Things don't have to change.." Frank tried.

"They already are!" Gerard exclaimed, quieting his voice once it caught the attention of a few people. "You have new friends.. I have no friends.. we only see each other a few times a day.."

Frank frowned, because he wasn't really sure how to make Gerard feel better. Gerard wasn't wrong, all that was true, but it didn't have to be bad.

"You'll always be my best friend." Frank whispered, causing Gerard to shyly look up at him with self conscious eyes. "I promise."

"I just don't like change." Gerard whimpered, leaning against his friends shoulder. "It's hard."

"I know." Frank nodded, wrapping his arm around Gerard. "But I'll be here no matter what, now please smile, I don't like seeing you sad.."

Frank pulled his other arm around Gerard, and hugged him tightly, which Gerard gratefully leaned into; Gerard smiled shyly as they pulled away, and that made Frank smile as well.

"Want some of my salad?" Frank offered, sliding his food towards Gerard.

Gerard nodded before taking a bite, and then slid his little plate of french fries towards Frank.

"Want some of my french fries?"

They continued to share their food, and the rest of the day didn't seem so bad anymore.

-

A week into school and things got better, even just slightly.

Gerard started talking to some other students in his classes, and he was pleased to say they weren't all stuck up brats.

He wasn't sure if he could consider them 'friends' yet though, but they were getting there, he thought, and that made him proud.

It made Frank proud too, he was happy to see his best friend open up some more and try to make friends.

Their names were Ray, Bob, and a beautiful girl named Lindsey.

Gerard really liked Lindsey, she was beautiful, and sweet, and she loved art almost as much as Gerard did.

Gerard decided he was going to draw her a picture, he didn't know what yet, but he wanted it to be perfect.

Frank still chatted with his friends at lunch, but for the most part, he paid attention to Gerard.

Gerard felt bad for that, he didn't want Frank to miss out on his own friends, but Frank assured Gerard he could talk to them later, and that he really wanted to talk to him instead.

So overall things were okay, but unfortunately for Gerard, that changed the second week of school.

It was that group of boys that had worried Gerard the first day of school, and he regretted not telling Frank about them.

It was after school, and Gerard was on his way to meet Frank when they stopped him.

"Hey, fat ass!" One called out, but Gerard ignored them, they weren't talk to him, surely.

Gerard didn't think he was fat, so why would they have called him that?

He found out quickly that they had been talking to him, because one of them jumped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

He gasped quietly and backed away, unfortunately trapping himself against the lockers as they stood around him.

Gerard clutched his book to his chest, and eyed them with fear, he didn't know what to do, he didn't know what was happening.

"W-Why did you call me that?" Gerard questioned timidly, gazing to the floor, too afraid to look them in the eyes. "I'm not fat.."

They all laughed venomously then, and Gerard could already feel the tears prick at his eyes, he was terrified.

"Next he'll say he isn't ugly." One laughed, making Gerard's heart drop into his stomach.

Ugly?

"You think I'm ugly?"

No one had ever called Gerard that, and no one had ever said such hurtful things before. He just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but he knew he couldn't do that in front of them.

"Has he ever looked in a mirror?" One snickered, "You got yourself a girlfriend?"

Gerard just shook his head almost shamefully, his gaze still on the ugly school hallway.

"Shocker." They all laughed, and Gerard felt his body slumping over slightly, like that would block their words. "Probably likes it up the ass."

Gerard's head snapped up at that, because he didn't know exactly what they meant, but he knew it wasn't nice.

"I-I- What?" Gerard stuttered out, his cheeks burning.

He had a bad feeling about what they said, worse than the feeling he had when they called him fat, or ugly. He didn't know what it was, but it made him feel almost ashamed.

"Look at him!" One exclaimed, pointing at Gerard. "He's totally a faggot!"

"What is that?" Gerard questioned timidly, flinching when they all started laughing.

Gerard lost control of his tears once they started chanting at him, 'fat ass faggot, fat ass faggot'.

He didn't like being call fat, and he didn't like being called a faggot, even if he didn't know what it meant.

He began to cry as he pushed passed them, rushing towards the exit of the school.

It seemed like everyone in that hallway was laughing at him, and it felt like he was suffocating.

-

Gerard was curled up on his bed, clutching a pillow against his chest, and crying his eyes out.

He didn't understand why the boys at school were so mean to him, he didn't understand the names they called him, he didn't understand why they laughed.

Why did it matter what he looked like? Why did it matter if he weighed more than the others? Was he really this disgusting piece of garbage that they had all called him?

He was suppose to meet up with Frank after school, but he was too upset to wait around, so he shot him a quick text, and then ran home.

He knew Frank would be over soon, they were always together no matter what, so Gerard tried his best to stop crying, but he just couldn't.

Nothing could stop the tears from flowing, nothing could stop the pain he was feeling.

He heard his bedroom door open, and came in none other than the famous Frank.

"Bro, you totally ditched me back there-" He paused when he noticed Gerards distressed state. "Gerard?"

"S-sorry-" He stuttered out, sitting up and wiping his tears. "I just-"

"Gerard, what's wrong?"

Frank dropped his backpack by the door and climbed onto Gerards bed, sitting next to his hysterical friend.

"T-the kids at school-" Gerard started, but was unable to finish as he began to sob again, collapsing against the bed.

"Shh.." Frank cooed, rubbing gentle circles against Gerards back. "What did they do?"

"T-they called me ugly, and f-fat, and t-they said I was a f-fag- I don't even know what that is!"

Frank knew what that meant, and he vowed to himself he would rip out whoevers throat who said that to his best friend.

He didn't deserve to be called such a hateful word.

"Gerard, they're just bullies... you know you're not fat or ugly."

"But I am!" Gerard cried. "Look at me! I'm twice your size, and not even half as beautiful!"

Frank frowned and pulled Gerard into his arms, holding him tightly against his body.

"Gerard, please stop crying.." He whispered and rocked his body back and forth in an attempt to calm his best friend.

"I- I don't want to be fat." He sobbed. "I don't want to be ugly."

"I think you're beautiful.." Frank whispered against Gerard's head, so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

"You're just saying that." Gerard sniffled, tilting his head to look up at Frank.

"No.." Frank shook his head. "I really believe that you are the most beautiful person on the planet. Inside and out."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Gerard questioned, wiping the tears from his face.

"Because I thought you knew, I thought you could see how beautiful you are. Plus... I didn't want you to get all big headed with me."

Frank shot Gerard one of his blinding white smiles, and Gerard couldn't help but smile back.

"B-but why did they say those things then?"

Franks smile fell and he gazed into his lap.

"Their idea of beauty is clouded." He replied quietly, keeping his gaze away from his best friends.

"What if it's just your idea that is clouded?" Gerard sniffled again, more tears on the way. "What if they're right and your view is clouded because we've been friends forever, what if-"

Gerard's sentence was cut off by a loud sob leaving the boys mouth, and soon he was a blubbering mess again.

"Gerard- Gerard, stop crying- please-"

Frank couldn't bare to see his best friend like this, and he would have done anything to rid him of this pain.

"Gerard." He tried again, this time cupping the side of his friends face, forcing him to look up at him.

He suddenly remembered all the times when they were younger, and Gerard would kiss his cheek, he remembered how happy that made him feel.

So he decided to try that, even though they were older now and a simple kiss on the cheek probably wouldn't have the same affect as it did when they were 9.

He had to try something.

He leaned in quickly and pressed a long lingering kiss against Gerards tear stained face, his sobs silencing almost instantly.

"W-what's that for?" Gerard questioned shakily once Frank pulled away.

"Remember how you used to always do that to me when we were little?" Gerard nodded his head slowly. "Well, that always made me feel so warm and happy, and I wanted you to feel warm and happy, too. Did it work?"

"Maybe could you do it some more? I- I think more would help.."

Frank smiled widely at Gerards change of mood, and instantly began placing quick kisses all over his cheeks, even his forehead and nose.

Gerard giggled loudly and felt goosebumps rise onto his skin, his bullies long forgotten.

When Frank finally pulled away Gerard tackled him against the bed in a bone crushing hug.

Gerards stomach had erupted with butterflies the second Franks lips touched his skin, and little did he know, Frank had them too.

The next day at school Frank insisted on walking Gerard to each of his classes, even though their schedules were basically opposite, and he was going to be late to every one of his classes, it was worth it to make sure he got there without any trouble from bullies.

Gerard was too scared to even enter the building, so Frank held his hand tightly, promising to not let anything happen to him.

Franks hand felt so perfect in Gerards, and Gerard wished they had held hands sooner, because he really enjoyed it.

They got a few odd looks as they walked through the doors, but for the most part they were unnoticed.

"Your hand is soft.." Gerard mumbled quietly, keeping his gaze to the hallway floor.

"Yeah?" Frank smiled. "Your cheeks are soft, even when they're all red like they are now.."

"They're not red!" Gerard tried to defend, but really ended up making his cheeks darker.

Frank smiled and went to respond when Gerard suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking like a deer caught in headlights as he gazed in front of them, a group of higher grade boys walking towards them.

"That's them.." Gerard whispered and looked towards the ground, hoping to go unnoticed by the boys.

"Hey, ugly!" One called out, the rest following behind.

"Ignore them." Frank whispered, pulling Gerard past them.

The bullies only followed, throwing insult after insult at Gerard.

"You know, I told the lunch lady about you, I told her to prepare triple the food to fit your appetite."

Gerard clutched Franks hand tighter, his throat tightening with the threat of tears forming.

"And looks like you got yourself a boyfriend! Shockingly, seeing as you have a face only a mother could love."

Frank could feel his anger bubbling higher and higher, and he was seconds away from snapping.

"They probably jerk each other off behind the bleachers!" Another one added, confusing Gerard further, because his innocent mind didn't know what that meant yet.

He turned to look at Frank, who had a pure look of hatred all over his face.

"What does that mean?" Gerard whispered timidly to Frank, who responded by only shaking his head.

Frank was more exposed to things like that than Gerard was, so he understood everything, and he didn't want to scare his friend with it.

"Is that right, Faggot? You two jerk each other off?"

Gerard and Frank ignored them, but that only made the leader mad.

"Hey Faggot! I'm talking to you!"

Suddenly there was a hand on Gerards shoulder, pulling him back away from Frank, sending him into the lockers.

"I- I don't know-" Gerard stuttered out, bracing himself for the punch the bully was about to throw.

But it never came, and when he opened his eyes he saw Frank and the bully on the ground, shoving each other roughly before Frank pinned him down, his fist coming down quickly, colliding roughly with the bullys jaw.

Gerard stared wide eyed at the scene in front of him, Franks fist consistently colliding with the bullys face, blood spilling onto the school floor.

"Don't you ever touch him again!" Frank shouted as a teacher pulled him off of the other boy.

The bully was still on the ground, his nose bleeding and his eyes watery.

Frank tried to fight the hold the teacher had against him, but it was no use, the teacher was much bigger than him.

"Let me go!" He shouted, thrashing around in the teachers hold.

"Please.." Frank spoke more calmly, gazing over at Gerard. "He hurt my friend, please let me check on my friend?"

Frank had these magic puppy dog eyes, they could convince anyone to do anything, and of course it convinced the teacher to let go of him.

He rushed over to Gerard, gazing over his body in search of injuries, even though the bully had barely touched his arm.

"Are you okay?" He rushed, knowing the teacher was going to take him to the office any second. "Did he hurt you?"

"M' fine.." Gerard mumbled quietly, ashamed for causing such a scene.

"Gee, I'll be over after school, I promise."

The teacher returned to behind Frank, grabbing his arm and attempting to pull him towards the office.

"I'm scared.." Gerard choked out, not wanting his friend to leave.

"Don't be scared, I won't let anyone hurt you."

Frank suddenly escaped the teachers grip, only for a second, and placed a quick kiss on Gerards cheek, sending his fears far, far away.

Frank got suspended that day.

-

Frank was waiting in Gerard's bedroom when he got home from school, and the second Gerard had entered the room, Frank's arms were around him.

"You okay?" Frank whispered, squeezing his friend tightly.

Gerard only shrugged against the embrace, sniffling softly as he started to cry again.

The bullies had left him alone, but their words still stung, and he felt bad for getting Frank suspended.

"Shh.." Frank cooed softly, rubbing Gerard's back gently. "Please don't cry.."

His words didn't have his intended affect though, and Gerard broke out into sobs, his body shaking slightly against Frank's.

"I'm sorry." Gerard whimpered, letting Frank lead him over to his bed so he could sit down. "I'm sorry I'm such a baby."

Frank had never seen Gerard this upset before yesterday or today, and it physically pained him to see his best friend in so much pain.

He would do anything to take the pain away, he just didn't know how.

"Hey now," Frank whispered, wiping away Gerard's tears. "You have every right to be upset, what they said was awful.."

Gerard just nodded, trying desperately to calm his sobbing.

"Frankie?" He sniffled, staring at his best friend shyly. "Remember yesterday... when I was upset, and you kissed my cheek?"

Gerard sounded extremely nervous, but Frank knew what he was asking for, and he was more than happy to oblige.

He leaned in instantly and pressed his lips against Gerard's tear soaked cheek; Gerard sighed softly, and leaned into it.

"Thank you.." He breathed out, resting his head against Frank's as he pulled away. "I feel better.."

Frank smiled and wrapped an arm around his best friend, holding him close.

"Hey, Frankie?" Gerard spoke timidly, in which Frank responded with 'mhm?' "W-What did they mean when they asked if we jerked each other off behind the bleachers?"

Frank's body tensed at the returned subject, and his cheeks tinted pink.

He wasn't sure why he felt weird, he's never felt weird telling Gerard something; it must just be because it might scare Gerard, and he didn't want that.

"Uh-" He stuttered out, not sure what to say. "I-It's not important... we should just forget about it."

"If you don't tell me, I'll just google it..."

"Gerard." Frank sighed, knowing Gerard totally would. "It's... dirty."

"Please." Gerard whimpered, sounding like he was close to tears again. "I don't like not knowing what they said to me."

"Gerard- they- ugh, it means touching each other... sexually.."

Gerard pulled away from his embrace then, and stared at him with wide, almost scared, eyes.

"B-But, we don't do that- we're best friends... and we're boys..we- we-"

"That's the other thing..." Frank whispered, once again not wanting to speak. "What they called you... it's a very hateful word for a gay man."

Silent tears were falling from Gerard's eyes now, and he stared at his best friend helplessly.

"B-But I'm not-" He frowned, not really sure what he was feeling. "Why do they think I'm gay?" He whimpered, falling back against Frank. "And why do they make it sound like a bad thing? Is it a bad thing, Frankie, liking boys?"

Gerard felt scared now, because even though he liked Lindsey, he had thought boys were pretty, he had felt attracted to them.

He didn't think it was a big deal, but now he wasn't sure, was it wrong that he felt that way sometimes?

"No." Frank sighed, resting his chin on the top of Gerard's head. "It's not, and it will never be a bad thing...okay?"

"Feels bad." Gerard choked out, full on crying again.

Gerard pulled away from Frank for a moment, only to lay down beside him, resting his head on Frank's lap.

Frank's heart hurt, for multiple reasons.

It seemed like Gerard may have an interest in boys, which hurt him because he had always known there was something special between them, and now that they were at that age where people began to date, he wondered if that was what it was.

He loved Gerard, and he was starting to believe he loved him romantically as well, and that scared him, because he didn't want to lose Gerard if he didn't feel the same way.

Another reason was Gerard thought it was bad, which meant he probably felt ashamed, and Frank never wanted that for him.

"Do you... do you like boys, Gee?" He questioned softly, running his fingers through Gerard's hair.

Gerard only whimpered and burrowed his face into Franks lap, hiding.

Frank was scared now, because he was contemplating about confessing that he thought he might like boys. He wasn't sure though, because he liked girls as well, he wasn't sure what that meant.

"I think I like boys..." Frank whispered, his voice barely audible. "I-It's not bad.."

Gerard's crying seemed to cease instantly, like he thought Frank was going to take back what he said.

But when he didn't, Gerard slowly turned his head to look up at his best friend, who looked back down at him with nothing but sincerity.

"Really?" Gerard sniffled. "Y-You do?"

Frank stared down at his best friends tear stained face, and he felt a ting in his heart.

He felt the urge to kiss Gerard on the cheek again, but after that thought he thought about kissing him on the lips, and his heart pounded in his chest; that's when Frank definitely realized..

he liked Gerard.

"Y-Yes-" Frank answered shakily, his own tears forming now, the realization overwhelming him.

"I do too." Gerard whispered, slowly sitting upright on the bed, facing his friend nervously.

They just stared at each other for a while, nothing but their soft breath filling the silent room.

Frank had said he thought Gerard was beautiful, and the words now felt heavier to Gerard, almost like they meant more now.

He was so extremely confused on what was happening inside his head right now, all he knew was he wanted to be with Frank, because Frank made him happy.

Frank glanced nervously at Gerard's lips, aching to lean in and kiss the plump flesh; but he refrained, unsure of how Gerard was feeling.

Gerard was thinking the same thing though, he was absolutely terrified, but he began to lean in anyways.

Frank heart hammered in his chest as Gerard grew closer, and he found himself leaning in as well, the small gap between them decreasing and decreasing before-

There was a knock on the door.

Both boys quite literally jumped away from each other, and blushed violently, avoiding each others gaze.

"Gee, is Frank staying over for dinner?" Donna called out, in which Gerard looked shyly at Frank, who nodded just as shyly.

"Yes, mom, thank you." Gerard replied loudly, avoiding Frank's gaze again.

Donna mumbled a thank you from behind the door, and left.

It was silent, awkwardly silent, for god knows how long, before one of them spoke.

"That was...weird." Gerard mumbled, his cheeks still flaming red.

"Yeah.." Frank nodded; he definitely wanted to kiss Gerard, but something about the timing didn't feel right. "Forget it ever happened?"

"Okay.." Gerard nodded, slowly turning his gaze to Frank. "Best friends?"

Gerard had a slight fear that what just happened might affect their friendship, but Frank would never let that happen, Gerard was too special to lose, he would fight for him until the end if he had to.

"The bestest." Frank smiled genuinely, opening his arms for a hug.

Gerard relaxed and bared a bright smile, scooting over and hugging Frank tightly.

They never spoke of the almost kiss again.


	4. Age Sixteen

"Frank." Gerard whined, fiddling with his tux. "I look stupid!"

"No you don't, now stop messing with it so I can tie your tie."

Gerard let out a huff, but stayed still, letting Frank finish what he was doing.

They were going to homecoming; Frank and Gerard's mom's told them they needed to start participating in more school activities, and sports were definitely out of the question, so they decided homecoming wouldn't be too bad.

They had agreed to go together, as friends of course.

Gerard had refused to go at all, he was afraid Frank was going to ask a girl to go with him, and then Gerard would be left alone.

But Frank didn't want to ask anyone to the dance, he was perfectly happy going with his best friend.

His best friend that he may or may not have feelings for.

"I know you don't wanna go, but we promised our moms." Frank sighed, stepping away and admiring his tie work. "It won't be that bad, and I promise if you really wanna leave we can ditch and go get pizza."

"Pizza?" Gerard's ears perked up. "Promise?"

"I promise." Frank smiled, lifting his pinky to seal the commitment.

Gerard smiled and hooked his pinky with Frank's.

-

"Our boys!" Linda and Donna squealed as Frank and Gerard made their way downstairs. "So handsome!"

"Oh my god." Gerard muttered, attempting to go back upstairs before Frank grabbed his arm.

"Just a few pictures and we can go, come on, we're their only kids." Frank whispered back, and as much as Gerard hated it, he was right.

He couldn't deny his mother a homecoming picture, she had probably been dreaming of this day since she found out she was pregnant.

So Gerard fought through, smiling painfully and wrapping his arm around his best friend as their mothers snapped what seemed like a million pictures.

After a few moments their dads entered the room from the basement, where they had previously been playing poker.

"You look handsome, my boy." Donald spoke, patting Gerard's shoulder proudly.

"Thanks dad.."

Frank's dad, on the other hand, walked over to his wife, nudged her side, and said 'damn we made a hot kid.'

"Can't say I disagree." Frank smirked, hiking up the imaginary collar on his suit. "I'm fine as hell."

"You're so full of yourself." Gerard laughed, even though he didn't disagree either.

Frank just smiled up at his best friend proudly, and Gerard smiled back, and Donna snapped a picture at just the right moment.

"Mom!" Gerard groaned, attempting to get the camera. "That probably looks awful, delete it!"

"It's the first real smile you've had all night! I'm keeping it!"

Gerard rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, he really hated pictures being taken of him when he wasn't aware.

"Honey, look, it's a good picture." Donna tried, pulling up the picture and showing it to Frank and Gerard.

"Aw, Gee." Frank smiled, resting his head against Gerard's shoulder. "It really is a good picture, you look beautiful."

Gerard couldn't deny it was a good picture, he did look okay, but Frank was most certainly the beautiful one.

Gerard blushed at Frank's compliment, and tried to ignore the sweet smile his mother sent him when she noticed it.

Truth is, Linda and Donna have been waiting for them to confess their feelings for each other, to them it was very obvious they cared for each other, and they just wanted it to be official already.

It was clear at a very young age that they worked together, for example; Frank would never do his homework unless Gerard was there to do it with him, and Gerard would never try anything new unless Frank was by his side.

Not to mention the shared cheek kisses they always had, even if it had stopped after they turned 14.

"Can we go now?" Gerard mumbled quietly, obviously embarrassed.

"Yes." Frank answered instantly, grabbing Gerard's hand and pulling him towards the door. "Bye mom and dad, love you!"

Before their parents had a chance to object, Frank and Gerard were already in Linda's car and pulling out the driveway.

Frank was driving, he had gotten his license earlier in the year.

Gerard had his license too, he just didn't like driving that much, so he let Frank do it whenever possible.

So while Frank drove, Gerard stared blankly into his lap, fiddling with his hands.

He was nervous to say the least, he hated school functions, even if Frank was by his side.

"Hey," Frank spoke, reaching over to rest his hand on top of Gerard's nervous ones. "Look, if you really don't want to go, we don't have to, we can just go get pizza and hang out."

"But you want to." Gerard mumbled quietly. "I don't want you to miss something just because of me."

"There'll be other dances." Frank reasoned. "Besides I only want to go because I get to go with you. So either way, as long as I'm with you, I'll be happy."

Gerard blushed again, and Frank had to restrain from making a 'you're so cute when you blush' comment.

"I suppose a few hours won't be too bad.."

-

Besides the horrible taste in music, Gerard was right, the dance wasn't that bad.

Gerard liked seeing all the dresses, he thought most of them were very beautiful and unique. In fact he spent most of his time studying them from afar, appreciating their beauty as the fabric twirled around whoever was wearing it.

Frank stayed by Gerard's side the whole time, although he did chat with whoever came up to see him.

Frank was a pretty popular kid at their high school, he wasn't really sure why, but he wouldn't turn anyone away if they wanted to talk to him.

Gerard tended to ignore them, he wasn't interested in small talk with strangers.

He'd rather day dream, or admire things.

"Gerard-" Frank nudged his side, smiling as Gerard jumped slightly. "These girls wanna dance."

Gerard frowned and looked up at the two girls in front of them, one he recognized as Jamia Nestor, a girl who had a crush on Frank.

The other one he didn't recognize though, she had dark black hair, and her dress was almost as dark as her hair.

This girl clearly loved the color black, and she seemed different than the others.

"Wait, with me too?" Gerard questioned, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Yes, you too." The one in black smiled, reaching her hand out for him. "I'm Frances."

"I- uh-" Gerard stuttered out, nervously looking over at Frank for help, but all Frank did was send him an encouraging smile. "I-I'm Gerard." He finally finished, taking her hand as she lead him onto the dance floor, sending Frank a helpless look as he went.

Luckily Frank and Jamia followed, and they danced near by, so Gerard could still see Frank.

"Are you nervous?" Frances eyed him curiously, in which Gerard nodded slowly.

"I don't know how to dance.."

"I'll show you." She smiled sweetly, not a hint of humor in her voice like he had expected. "Here-"

She grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist, and then she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Just sway with the shitty music now." Frances giggled, and Gerard actually found himself smiling. "If I had my way, we'd be dancing to the Misfits or some shit."

"You like the Misfits?" Gerard questioned in disbelief, he thought him and Frank were the only ones in this school who even knew who they were.

"Hell yeah." She smiled. "You?"

"They're one of my favorites." Gerard confessed quietly, slightly convinced this was a joke.

"Me too!" Frances exclaimed. "Who's your favorite?"

"I really like Bowie.."

"Who's that?" Frances questioned with a small smile, her head tilting sideways.

Gerard felt disappointed when she said that, but he missed the humor she had to her voice.

"He's-"

"I'm just fucking with you." She laughed. "I love David Bowie, he's one unique fucker, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Gerard nodded, a bright smile on his face now. "That's why I like him so much, he's not afraid to be different."

Gerard glanced over at Frank then, to see him smiling back at him.

Gerard was actually able to smile back, because he wasn't hating this dance as much as he expected. He actually kinda like Frances, he thought they had a lot in common so far.

"Gerard?" Frances piped up, pulling his attention away from Frank. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, yeah, sure.."

"When are you going to ask him out?"

"What?!" Gerard exclaimed, his cheeks going bright red. "Who?"

Frances just smiled at him, and once again it held no humor or amusement.

She wasn't teasing him, like he figured she was.

"He's been watching you this whole time, you know?" She spoke, gazing over at him. "And I see the way you look at him."

"He's my best friend.." Gerard mumbled quietly, the thought of potentially losing his best friend over his silly feelings making his heart ache. "That's all we are.."

"Do you like him, Gerard?"

Gerard shrugged, even though the answer was yes.

"I think he likes you too."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's still looking at you." She smiled, and when Gerard turned to look, Frank quickly adverted his gaze, not wanting to be caught staring at his best friend again. "And now he's blushing, Gerard, he totally likes you."

"I dunno.."

"Why are you so set on him not liking you? She questioned, this time without a smile, just a concerned expression.

"I- why would he? Look at me."

"I am, you're hot." She giggled, making Gerard blush violently. "You're also adorable, I see why he likes you."

"Look at him..." Gerard sighed, gazing over at his best friend, who looked like he was having the time of his life dancing with Jamia. "He likes her."

"Come on." She spoke, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to Jamia and Frank. "You guys wanna go get something to drink?"

"Sure!" They called out over the music, and before Gerard knew it they were in a dark corner with half filled cups of punch.

Frances pulled a small bottle out of her bag, and Gerard grew nervous, yet excited once he realized it was alcohol.

(Gerard doesn't have an addiction in this story so don't worry nothing bad will happen)

He had never had a drink before, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to try it, at least once.

Maybe it would make this dance more fun, and maybe he'd be able to relax.

"Want some?" Frances offered as she filled her cup, Jamia was the first to accept.

Frank looked over at Gerard, and took a step closer to him, whispering a 'you don't have to do anything you don't want to, Gerard.'

"How about you, Frank?"

"Nah, I gotta drive home later."

"Smart man." Frances smiled. "Next time then, how about you, Gerard?"

Everyone looked at Gerard then, and he couldn't believe what he was about to do, but fuck he was excited.

"Maybe a little.." He smiled shyly, holding out his cup. "I've never drank before."

Frances just smiled and filled his cup, stopping once he asked her to.

-

A little while later, and Gerard was feeling pleasantly buzzed.

He was more relaxed, and he even socialized some more.

Frank kept a close eye on him, making sure he didn't do anything stupid, or get himself hurt.

Gerard wasn't even drunk, but Frank still didn't know how his body reacted to liquor, and everyone is different, so Frank wanted to be safe.

He was very happy with the outcome though, he loved seeing Gerard smile and have fun, and the little bit of liquid courage was going a long way.

"Frank!" Gerard gasped after a certain song began to play. "It's our favorite song! Can we dance? Please, oh please?"

Frank could only giggle and nod his head in response, grabbing his best friends hand and pulling him onto the dance floor.

Frank couldn't restrain his laughter as Gerard began to dance; his head bobbing left and right, his body swaying to the music, a silly smile plastered on his face.

Frank decided to mimic his dance moves, if his best friend was going to look like an idiot, he was too.

The smile on Gerard's face as Frank began dancing made it seem like the room had stopped moving, Frank was so lost in the beautiful bright smile that he almost missed it when the song came to an end.

"This is so much fun." Gerard breathed out, wrapping his arms around Frank's neck absentmindedly. "Why didn't we try alcohol earlier, this is so fun!"

Gerard seemed to be a bit more drunk than before, and Frank wouldn't be surprised if Frances had given him more alcohol.

But the point was Gerard was finally having fun, and that made Frank happier than anything.

The song playing now was a slow one, and Frank gently placed his hands on Gerard's waist.

Gerard's smile only grew as he did that, and it gave Frank enough courage to take a step closer to him, their bodies barely an inch apart.

Gerard let out a peaceful sigh, and leaned his head down, resting it onto Frank's shoulder; the new position had them pressed up against each other, and Frank sighed, pretending that they were there as a couple, and not best friends.

-

Frank helped Gerard into the car, before he noticed Frances and Jamia sitting on the curb, looking more than wasted.

"Stay here." Frank ordered, buckling Gerard in and hoping he was too drunk to realize it. He made his way over to Frances and Jamia, and they smiled up at him. "What are you guys doing?"

"Our designated driver got wasted." Jamia hiccuped, 'discretely' pointing at Frances, who let out a quiet giggle.

"I didn't mean to!"

Frank just sighed and rubbed his forehead, taking care of drunken girls was not how he planned to spend his night, but he wasn't going to leave them in formal dresses, on the side of the road, in freezing cold weather.

"I'll drive you home, let's go." Frank helped them to their feet, and Jamia leaned in, like she was going to kiss him, but Frank pretended he didn't notice, and pulled away.

"Frank, I'm stuck." Gerard pouted as Frank finally got into the car. "I tried to come see you, but I'm stuck!"

Gerard began tugging on his seat belt, going on and on about stuck he was. 

"Death trap!" Frances shrieked, giggling loudly. "We must escape!"

"Oh, no." Gerard gasped, turning to look at Frank, wide eyed and scared. "Frank- you gotta- you gotta go, it'll get you too!"

Frank just took a deep breath and turned on the car, he could do this, he could do it.

-

After about a half hour of driving around aimlessly, Frances was finally able to give a somewhat understandable address for Frank to drop them off at.

It was only after she had gotten sick of course.

"Wait, wait, pull over-" She had stuttered, reaching for the door handle the second the car was stopped.

Frank glanced back just in time to see her opening the door, before blowing chunks all over the street outside.

Gerard had found it to be the most hilarious thing in the world, and he couldn't stop laughing for a solid five minutes afterwards.

But at last, he finally came to a stop outside the address Frances had given him, and he got out to help them to the front door.

"Frank-" Jamia giggled, holding onto his arm as they stumbled up the walk way. "You are so hot."

"Jamia!" Frances scolded, falling into Frank. "Back off he likes Gerard!"

"What?" Frank and Jamia both questioned, and Frances eyes widened slightly, like she knew she had said the wrong thing.

"What?" Frances repeated, trying to act clueless. "What?"

Frank just sighed and continued up the walk way, finally reaching the door and knocking on it.

Frances wasn't wrong, he just didn't know how she knew that, he couldn't have been that obvious, could he?

After several moments the door finally opened, revealing an older woman in a bathrobe, who eyed the teenagers suspiciously.

"Mama!" Frances giggled, pushing her way into the house, Jamia close behind.

Her mom watched them enter the house, but then turned back to Frank, who stood there awkwardly.

"What happened?" She finally asked, and she didn't seem angry like Frank had originally thought.

"Oh, uh, they were too drunk to drive, and I didn't want to leave them outside alone, so I gave them a ride."

The mom just stared at him in disbelief, and then she shocked him, and pulled him in for a hug.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"It was no problem, really." Frank assured, glancing behind him to make sure Gerard was still in the car.

He was, and he was tugging at his seat belt while glancing up at Frank helplessly.

"Do you know what could have happened if almost any other teenage boy had picked them up? Really..." She paused, waiting for Frank's name.

"Frank." He smiled politely. "I'm Frank."

"Really, Frank. They could have been in danger tonight, so thank you."

"It's my pleasure, really, don't mention it."

She just smiled and hugged him again, whispering 'the world needs more boys like you.' Before going back inside.

-

"Gerard, shh!" Frank urged as they entered Gerard's home. "You'll wake up your mom!"

Donna was already awake though, she was anxiously awaiting their return, so she could hear all about the dance.

"Mom!" Gerard giggled when she came into view, stumbling over to her and placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "I love you."

Frank just froze, it was very clear Gerard was drunk, and he wasn't sure how Donna was going to react to that.

"Go to bed, baby, I need to talk to Frank." She spoke softly, turning Gerard around, where he began to literally crawl up the stairs.

Frank tried to smile at her as she turned her attention over to him, but it just looked painful and quite honestly, embarrassing.

"Is he drunk?" She questioned, seeming slightly angry, but not pissed.

"Um, maybe a little bit.." Frank admitted, looking at his shoes shamefully. "I made sure he was okay though, promise."

She sighed quietly and took a step towards Frank, using her finger to lift his chin so they had eye contact.

"Did you drink and drive?"

"No, of course not, my parents and you have taught me better than that."

Donna seemed to relax slightly at that, and so did Frank.

"Did he have fun?" She whispered softly, as if Gerard would be able to hear her.

"I haven't seen him smile so much in a long time." Frank answered truthfully, his own smile forming at the memory. "It was a wonderful time."

She seemed happy after that, and any fear Frank had before seemed to slip away.

She wasn't going to kill them, not this time at least.

"I'm glad, thank you for taking care of him." She smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder. "And thank you for not driving drunk, that was very smart, and very responsible of you."

"Thank you, Donna." They were on first name basis by this point. "Do you mind if I stay the night? I'd like to keep an eye on Gerard."

"You know you're always welcome to." She smiled again, removing her hand. "Now please go make sure he didn't pass out in the bath tub."

-

Gerard woke up extremely confused, and he had a slight ache in his head.

But as Gerard looked over his shoulder and saw his best friend snuggled up under the blankets, he knew everything was okay.

"Hey, Frankie.." Gerard whispered, nudging his best friend awake. "Frankie.."

Frank groaned, his face scrunching up in distaste, before he slowly opened his eyes.

"Gee." He sighed, a sleepy grin forming on his face. "How do you feel?"

"Confused." Gerard giggled, stretching out his tired body. "My head kinda hurts."

"I'm sorry." Frank frowned, reaching up to brush Gerard's hair behind his ears. "Did you have fun last night?"

"I think so." Gerard smiled, like he had smiled last night. "I remember dancing with you."

"Yeah?" Frank blushed slightly, wondering if Gerard had remembered how close they had been.

"It was nice."

"I thought so too." Frank blushed even harder, luckily the lighting in the room made it almost impossible to see.

Suddenly there was a knock on the bedroom door, and a few seconds later Donna entered, holding a glass of water and some aspirin.

Gerard instantly tensed up, he couldn't remember coming home, he couldn't remember what his mom had done.

"I'm not mad." She spoke, reading his mind. "You two were responsible, and you had fun, that's all that matters."

Gerard's eyes widened and he gazed over at Frank, who giggled quietly and pulled the blanket over his head.

"Really, you're not mad?" Gerard questioned softly, accepting the aspirin, even though he wasn't sure what it was for.

"You're a teenager, Gerard. Most kids your age are doing far worse, so I can't really complain here." She laughed quietly. "I just want you to promise me you'll always be safe when you try those things, okay? No driving either, understood?"

"Yes mom, I understand, and I promise I will be safe. Frank took good care of me too, he'll make sure I'm safe too."

Frank pulled the blanket off of his head now, and smiled up at the two.

"I made sure he drank lots of water last night, so he's probably not hung over, does your head hurt, Gee?"

"Just a little." Gerard shrugged. "More of an ache, really."

"Well that's good to hear, now come downstairs soon, I'm making pancakes."

-

A few hours later and they were home alone, sitting upstairs messing around like they always did.

"I bet you 20 bucks that I'll kiss someone before you do!"

Gerard laughed, making his weekly bet with his best friend that they had been doing every week since they were 14.

"How do you know I haven't already kissed someone?" Frank questioned with an eyebrow raised, trying to sound as confident as possible, even though he had never actually kissed someone before.

"Have you?"

"No.." Frank sighed, shaking his head.

He had the opportunity many times in the past, but he never went through with them.

Ever since middle school he realized he liked Gerard more than a best friend, and he had this fantasy in his mind that Gerard would be his first kiss.

Little did he know, Gerard felt the same way.

Ever since that day in his bedroom in middle school, when he was crying his eyes out because of bullies, he'd known that he liked Frank more than a friend.

Besides, Gerard was shy. Especially after last year, when Lindsey Ballato pretended to like him, pretended to want him, just to get close to him, just to throw it back in his face, just to laugh at him, just to bring attention to his flaws, the flaws he didn't know he had until she came along.

Frank definitely had a word with her, a word that caused her to switch schools.

But a word Gerard knew nothing about, for all he knew she moved because her father got a job in a different district.

That was why he kept his feeling towards Frank a secret, even though he trusted him, he couldn't bear a repeat of last year.

Frank couldn't possibly like him back anyways, no way. He was only still around because they had been friends since they were 4, and that's all they'd ever be, friends.

"But-" Frank started. "That Jamia chick from English has been all up on my dick since freshmen year, I could easily kiss her and win the bet."

"Oh.." Gerard started, the disappointment clear in his voice. "Do you like her?"

"No." Frank answered instantly, shaking his head. "I like someone else."

Gerard tried not to look disappointed.

Frank liked someone, and it couldn't be him.

"Who?"

"You don't know them.." Frank trailed off awkwardly, avoiding Gerard's gaze.

"But-"

"Race you to the fridge!" Frank shouted, jumping off of Gerard's bed and bolting out of the room.

Gerard was close behind him, determined to win the race.

But as they bolted through the living room Frank tripped, his body somehow twisting, causing him to fall on his back, with Gerard toppling over on top of him.

They both groaned as they hit the ground, the sudden accident not expected.

But then they were laughing, gazing into each others eyes like this was the funniest thing to ever happen.

The laughter slowly died down as Gerard gazed down at Frank, his heart rate increasing when he realized how close they were.

Frank smiled sweetly up at Gerard, and reached his hand up, brushing Gerard's hair behind his ear so he could see his face better.

Gerard wanted to kiss Frank, he wanted to lean down and close the small gap between them, he wanted to finally feel those soft lips against his own.

But he couldn't, not when he knew Frank liked someone else.

"W-who is it?" Gerard questioned, keeping Frank pinned against the floor.

"Who is what?" Frank asked, pretending to be oblivious.

"Who do you like?"

Franks cheeks flared bright red, and he tried his best to avoid his best friends gaze.

"I-" He started, gazing everywhere but at his friend. "I uh- I like-"

Frank wanted Gerard to kiss him too, even though it would mean he lost the bet, which had literally never happened before.

He wanted Gerard to kiss him so badly, but he also didn't want to ruin his friendship.

What if Gerard didn't feel the same way? And realized it was a mistake, and then never wanted to see Frank again?

"Frankie.." Gerard whined. "You can trust me."

Frank's heart was beating so loudly he was surprised Gerard couldn't hear it, it was beating so loudly that it brought physical pain.

"I- I like-" Frank started, staring wide eyed up at his best friend, seconds away from potentially ruining their friendship. "You." He finished, bracing himself for the rejection.

Gerard remained stunned above him, gazing disbelievingly down at his best friend.

"S-say something-" Frank rushed, the silence worse than rejection.

Gerard opened his mouth to speak, but no words could form.

This was his wildest dream, the person he liked actually liking him back, was he dead?

Gerard's gaze fell to Franks perfect lips, inches away from his, practically begging to be kissed.

Frank noticed, and found his gaze falling to Gerard's lips as well, the soft lips that had cured his sadness so many times before.

Gerard then noticed Frank mimicking his actions, and he read it as Frank wanted a kiss too.

So before he could question himself, Gerard closed the gap between them, his soft lips gently crashing against Frank's, causing the younger of the two to gasp quietly, before pushing his lips back against Gerard's.

Both of their minds spun as their lips moved together slowly, the new sensation taking over their whole body.

When Gerard finally pulled away for air, he found his arms to be weak trying to hold him up, and he fell slightly against Frank.

Frank didn't seem to mind though, his mind still blown from his best friend kissing him.

"I- I like you too.." Gerard breathed out, aching to kiss his friend again.

"Y-you do?" Frank questioned in disbelief, even though Gerard had just proven he did. "C-can we do it again?"

Gerard didn't think twice before connecting their lips once again, this time with more confidence.

They remained like that for a while, kissing softly, when Gerard felt Frank's mouth open slightly, and his tongue slide out gently.

Gerard understood what he was doing, but he panicked and pulled away.

"I- I don't know how to do that.." He confessed quietly, feeling embarrassed even though he knew this was Frank's first kiss too.

"Me either." Frank shrugged. "We can learn together."

Gerard smiled, and Frank took that as an opportunity to swap positions, pushing Gerard onto his back and hovering over him.

"Follow my lead?"

Gerard nodded quickly before reaching his hands up and placing them against Frank's sides, eager to continue.

Frank connected their lips this time, slowly edging into adding tongue.

He was just as nervous as Gerard was, he had no idea what he was doing.

Gerard was the one who initiated it this time, his shy tongue slowly grazing against Franks bottom lip.

Frank mimicked the action, his tongue slowly sliding against Gerard's, causing both of them to gasp quietly at the foreign feeling filling their senses.

Eventually they became more confident in their actions, and soon their tongues were dancing together gracefully, sending shivers down both of the boys spine.

"Feels so good-" Gerard gasped out as they pulled away for air.

"Yeah.." Frank agreed before attaching their lips again, lost in the warm feeling flooding his body.

They were at it for a long time before Frank finally pulled away, exhausted from holding himself up over Gerard, and from the intense make out session they just had.

He collapsed onto the floor next to Gerard, his hand resting heavily against his chest, his gaze focused on the ceiling.

"Woah." They both spoke in unison, smiling at their identical reaction.

They just laid there for a while too, soaking in everything that had just happened, before Gerard finally spoke, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Hey, Frankie?"

"Yeah?"

"I finally won."

Frank let out a weak laugh, and turned his head to the side so he could gaze at Gerard.

"Fuck you, Gerard." He giggled, making Gerard laugh as well.

"How's it feel being a loser?" Gerard teased, nudging Frank's side playfully.

"I didn't lose." Frank smiled, his hand hesitantly sliding into Gerard's. "I got to kiss you."


	5. Age Seventeen

They had done everything together, from learning how to ride a bike, to having their first kiss.

Frank had asked Gerard to be his boyfriend the day after they had their first kiss together, it included sappy poetry and lots of messy sketched hearts.

Frank took him to the park, just as the sun was setting, and gave him the heartfelt poetry he had secretly written months ago, he had even bought Gerard his favorite chocolates, he did anything that would make Gerard feel special, because he knew deep down Gerard didn't feel that way, he didn't feel important, he didn't feel loved, and Frank was extremely eager to change that.

Gerard had been blushing the entire time, grinning shyly to himself as he read the poetry, glancing up at Frank through his dark eyelashes just as shyly, mumbling a 'you really want me to be your boyfriend?'

In which Frank replied 'nothing would make me happier, not even a brand new guitar.'

Frank became even more protective of Gerard after that, he must have gotten suspended three times a month, because someone had teased Gerard.

He had gotten teased too, of course. But that never stopped him from holding Gerard's hand tightly as they walked through the halls together, it never stopped him from giving Gerard a kiss before each class, despite Gerard's assurance that he didn't have to, and it would be easier on Frank if he didn't.

But Frank knew how special it made Gerard feel, and he really loved making him feel that way.

Gerard had never felt more special than that night, but that was soon to change, as their 7 month anniversary was coming up.

Frank had planned the perfect date, he would show up to Gerard's house in the morning, with a single red rose that he had personally painted black, just for Gerard.

Then he would take him to the local comic book shop, and sit in there for as long as Gerard wanted, reading any and every comic book.

After that they would go to Gerard's favorite burger place, where after they ate they would share a chocolate milkshake, just like they had whenever their mothers brought them there as kids.

Franks mother was out of town that night, and he had invited Gerard to stay the night.

They had never done anything sexual in their relationship, the only thing they ever did was make out, and cuddle.

Frank wanted more, of course he did, he wanted to be with his love in every way possible.

But he respected Gerard's boundaries.

They had never actually discussed the topic, but Frank knew where Gerard stood on it.

He would always pull away from Frank whenever their make out sessions escalated, or whenever he became too aroused, which of course, Frank noticed.

Gerard was shy, and Gerard had confidence issues, and Frank respected that.

But Frank hated how Gerard couldn't see how beautiful he was; sure he didn't fit society's idea of beautiful, and sure he didn't look like most of the guys at their school, but none of that mattered to Frank, to him, Gerard was the sun.

Frank had an idea that Gerard had maybe wanted to try to go further, lately he had been touching Frank more, initiating the kissing more, but he still always pulled away.

Frank wanted to show Gerard that it was okay to want what he wanted, and that he was worthy of such acts.

He knew Gerard didn't feel good enough for something like that, he knew Gerard felt Frank deserved someone better.

But tonight, if Gerard would let him, Frank was going to prove him wrong.

He was going to prove to him that he was good enough, he was going to prove to him that he was beautiful.

Frank, being the prepared 17 year old he was, had lube and a condom ready, just in case.

Franks mother had supplied him with those items the second she found out they were together, and considering how awkward it was at first, he was actually really grateful for it.

Gerard blushed bright red as Frank held out the blackened rose to him, his sparkling smile causing Gerard's heart to flutter even more.

"You painted it black, just for me?" Gerard asked shyly, admiring the rose from behind his long dark hair.

"Just for you." Frank pulled Gerard in for a tight hug, before whispering against his chest. "Happy anniversary, baby."

"I love you." Gerard breathed out as they pulled away, Frank keeping his arms loosely around Gerard's waist.

"I love you, too." Frank smiled, leaning up to peck Gerard on the lips.

"So.. do you wanna come in and watch horror movies, or something?" Gerard asked, finally brushing his hair behind his ears, giving Frank the perfect view of his beautiful face.

"No, no, absolutely not!" Frank giggled, grabbing Gerard's hand. "I have a whole day planned for us! I hope you had your coffee this morning!"

They ended up spending about two hours in the comic book shop, Gerard's eyes had lit up the second it had come into view.

They had sat in the back of the shop, stacks of comics surrounding them, begging to be read and discussed.

Frank sat with his legs stretched out against the carpeted floor and Gerard laid down on the floor, his head resting in Franks lap.

Gerard was facing the ceiling, a comic book held above his view, pulling it down just slightly every once in a while when he had something to tell Frank.

Frank had read several comics before he grew bored, instead opting for gazing down at his lovely boyfriend, running his fingers through the dark strands softly.

"We can leave, if you want." Gerard offered, peeking over his comic to glance up at his boyfriend, who happened to be staring down at him with loving eyes.

"I don't want to leave." Frank smiled down at him, his fingers still tangled in Gerard's messy locks.

"But, you look so bored.."

"Are you having fun?" Frank questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah.."

"Then I am too."

Gerard smiled and sat up, sitting in between Franks legs, and resting against his chest. Frank wrapped his arm around Gerard's torso, keeping the boy close.

They stayed like that for about another hour, Gerard enjoying his comics, and Frank enjoying the boy he loved resting against his chest.

Frank stretched out his tired limbs as Gerard returned the comics to their original places.

Then without another word, Frank grabbed Gerard's hand tightly, and lead him out of the store.

Next was the burger place, which Frank was extremely grateful for, seeing as he decided to skip breakfast to make sure everything was ready for Gerard.

Gerard tried to object once he saw the building, telling Frank he didn't have money for food. But Frank was two steps ahead of him, and Frank was most definitely paying for their lunch.

Gerard tried to object to that, too. He didn't want Frank wasting his money on him. Frank worked hard for his money, Frank had a job, Gerard was just a lazy teenager who made art in his bedroom during his free hours.

"You know," Frank started, physically pulling Gerard into the restaurant. "You never had a problem with me spending my money on you before I was your boyfriend.."

Gerard sighed and allowed himself to be pulled into the restaurant without a fight after that, because that was true, when they were just friends Gerard let him buy lunch whenever he wanted.

"That was different.." He mumbled embarrassingly as they sat at their usual booth.

"Was it?" Frank questioned, scanning the menu idly, already knowing what he was going to order.

So maybe it wasn't that different, and maybe Gerard just didn't want Frank to feel like he had to do this. He didn't want Frank to feel obligated just because Gerard was his boyfriend.

Gerard was trying to form a response when the waitress approached them.

"Hey Gerard, hey Frank." She greeted, and okay, Frank and Gerard came here a lot.

"Hey Kat." Gerard greeted with a bright smile towards their friend.

They each ordered their food, which consisted of their usual. Frank a veggie burger, with a side of fries, and a diet coke. Gerard a double cheeseburger, side of fries, and a diet coke, too.

They enjoyed their food slowly, keeping each other company with their conversation.

Frank, however, ate slowly because he was nervous. They were going to be back at his house soon, alone.

He was definitely all for going all the way with Gerard, if he agreed that is, but he was still nervous as hell.

He wasn't anymore experienced than Gerard was, what if he did something wrong? What if he hurt Gerard?

After they finished their lunch, they shared a chocolate milkshake, just like couples in the movies.

They both giggled at that, how corny they were being, sharing a chocolate shake in a local burger place. It had happened in basically every romantic movie ever made, yet here they were.

After that Frank wasn't quite ready to go home, he needed more time to prepare himself for what he was going to do later, so he took Gerard to the record store.

Frank ended up buying Gerard his favorite album on vinyl, even though Gerard didn't actually have a record player.

But Gerard liked to collect things, especially things related to his favorite band, so Frank simply couldn't resist when he came across it.

So here they were, walking back to Gerard's house to drop off his things, and grab some clothes to bring over to Franks.

Gerard had the vinyl clutched against his chest, with a silly grin plastered across his face.

Gerard had only agreed to let Frank buy him the record because he had his own present for Frank back at home.

Granted it wasn't nearly as expensive as the vinyl, but he would still really love it.

"Welcome home, boys." Mrs. Way greeted from the living room, where she was sat on the couch, drinking tea.

Gerard returned her greeting before dashing off into his room, leaving Frank to go visit with her.

She had asked him how their day had gone, and other motherly things just like that.

Frank told her everything they did as he waited for Gerard, because Mrs. Way has always been like a second mother to him, always being there for him whenever his parents fought, or if they were out of town, literally any circumstance there was, she was there for him.

Plus she had always been supportive of his and Gerard's relationship, not that his own mother hadn't, because she almost threw a party when it happened.

But just the fact that his boyfriend/ best friends mother was so supportive of their sexuality, made everything seem so much better.

"Close your eyes!" Gerard suddenly appeared in the living room, something hidden behind his back.

Frank smiled shyly before covering his eyes with his hands, ready for whatever surprise Gerard had for him.

"Okay... open!"

Frank opened his eyes to see Gerard holding out a package of brand new guitar pics, but not just guitar pics, customized ones.

They were black, with white letters that read 'Frnk'.

Frank grinned ear to ear as he tackled Gerard into a hug, almost knocking the package out of his hand in the process.

"I love them!" He squealed, hugging Gerard tighter.

"Frank-" Gerard choked out. "I can't breathe!"

Frank pulled away slowly, before fulling examining the gift from Gerard.

"The 'A' wouldn't fit.." Gerard spoke quietly, addressing why the letter 'A' had been missing on the pics.

"They're perfect, you didn't have to though, you know?"

"I know." Gerard giggled. "But I couldn't resist, plus they'll go great when you finally get that new guitar!"

Frank kissed Gerard passionately then, his arms wrapping around his boyfriend tightly as their lips danced together.

After that they made their way to Franks house, both happy as could be.

They decided to watch some movies in Franks room, so they were currently cuddled up together on Franks bed, watching a random movie Frank had popped in.

Frank was thinking about the whole 'taking the next step' thing throughout the whole movie, and now the end credits were rolling, so it was time to make a move.

He lifted his head from where it lay on Gerard's chest, leaning up to place a gentle kiss on his jaw line.

"Frankie?" Gerard questioned breathlessly as Frank relocated his mouth to Gerard's neck, kissing just as softly.

"Hmm?" Frank hummed quietly, sitting up so he could look down at Gerard.

Gerard wasn't really sure what to say, because he liked it, it felt good, and he didn't want to question it.

"I-" He started, his cheeks starting to burn as he looked up at Frank. "I like that.."

"Yeah?" Frank smiled, pleased with Gerard's so far positive reaction. "Can I keep going?"

Gerard nodded his head slowly, gazing up at Frank with nervous eyes.

Somewhere inside of Gerard, he really wanted to do more intimate things with Frank, but the years of constant insults, despite Franks support, over ruled that feeling.

He still felt fat, and ugly, and granted Frank had seen him naked before, for totally innocent reasons, this was different.

Frank deserved someone beautiful, Frank deserved someone who could make him feel good, and there was this constant voice telling Gerard that it wasn't him.

Gerard gasped softly as Frank began to kiss at his neck again, the feeling causing his heartbeat to increase, and his skin litter with goosebumps.

Frank began exploring Gerard's neck, in search for the spot that would have Gerard breathing heavily once he reached it; if such thing even existed, Frank was going off of what he's read in books, or seen in movies.

He found it quickly, and Gerard moaned quietly at the sudden pleasure. The sound Gerard had made was the most beautiful, arousing thing Frank had ever heard, and he was already starting to get hard in his jeans.

Embarrassed, Gerard tried to pull away, stuttering an apology as he did so, but Frank wouldn't have that, and he kept his mouth latched tightly against the same spot.

"I wanna make you feel good." Frank mumbled against his neck. "You deserve to feel good."

"But I- I'm-" Gerard started, getting distracted as Frank began to work with his mouth again. "I can't make you feel good, too.."

"You already are."

Frank shifted his body to where he was hovering over Gerard, not quite touching just yet.

"I'm going to kiss you, okay?" Frank spoke softly, letting Gerard know that he wasn't asking anything of him, and he wasn't going to do anything else without permission.

"O-okay." Gerard agreed, smiling shyly up at Frank, hoping Frank didn't notice the little problem in his pants.

Frank began to kiss Gerard softly, waiting for him to relax before deepening the kiss.

Gerard's hand slipped underneath the fabric of Franks shirt, pulling it up slightly before panicking and removing his hand quickly.

Frank noticed though, and pulled away from the kiss.

"Do you want me to take it off?"

Gerard thought about it for a moment before slowly nodding his head.

Frank smiled to himself and sat up, pulling his shirt off his head and tossing it to the floor. Gerard stared up at the pale skin, his hand raising slightly, his fingertips trailing against the skin Frank had promised would soon be covered in tattoos.

"Should I take mine off too?" Gerard asked nervously, he would rather keep his shirt on, but if Frank had taken his off, maybe he should too.

"Only if you want to." Frank replied softly, already knowing how Gerard felt about his upper body.

"Can I keep it on?"

"Of course, baby." Frank spoke before leaning down and connecting their lips once again.

This time as they kissed Gerard's hands traveled slowly over Franks upper body, feeling every dip and curve there was.

Gerard seemed to have relaxed again, so Frank wanted to try something more.

Being as gentle as he could, he slowly lowered his lower half against Gerard, causing their hips to come together softly, alerting Gerard to just how aroused Frank really was.

Gerard gasped and pulled away from the kiss, his shock filled eyes glancing between them.

"I- are you-" Gerard gasped out, shocked that this had caused Frank to get hard.

"Yeah.." Frank laughed awkwardly, feeling his cheeks start to burn, this wasn't the reaction he was expecting. "We can stop, do you want me to get off of you?"

"Did I do that?" Gerard questioned softly, returning his gaze to Franks.

"Uhh, yeah.." Frank replied, still awkwardly.

Gerard grinned shyly to himself before pulling his gaze down from Franks, staring at Franks chest absentmindedly. His eyes fluttered up to Frank momentarily before returning to his chest, his heart racing.

He had that shy grin plastered on his face, and really Frank had never seen him look so adorable.

"What is it, Gee?" Frank asked, completely confused on how Gerard was feeling.

"I-" He started, his smiling growing as his eyes darted around the room. "I didn't know I could do that.."

His wide eyes landed on Franks, his bottom lip between his teeth as he waited for Frank reaction.

"Turn me on? Baby, you do that everyday.."

He wasn't lying, after almost every time they hung out, chances were Frank ended up in the shower jerking off to the memory.

"Really?" Gerard questioned, his eyes now filled with astonishment, which again, looked adorable as hell.

"Yeah.. I've lost count of how many times I've had to jerk off after our days together.." Frank replied shyly, embarrassed to what he was admitting.

"Oh." Gerard's face fell. "I'm sorry I didn't-"

"Gee-" Frank interrupted. "Don't apologize, you make me extremely happy with what we have done, and I wouldn't want to push you into anything you're not comfortable with."

"S-so you're sexually attracted to me? Like, you'd want to.. you know, with me?"

"Baby." Frank breathed out, pressing his crotch down with a little more force. "I have never been more sexually attracted to anyone, and if you wanted, I'd love to have 'you know' with you."

The shy smile returned to Gerard's face, and he slowly moved his hands down to grip at Franks waist, his confidence slowly building.

"Can we keep going?"

Frank didn't need to think twice before his lips were against Gerard's again, Gerard surprising him by pushing his hips forward, just slightly, causing Frank to let out a quiet moan against the kiss.

The positive sound Frank let out gave Gerard the confidence to do it again, this time with more pressure.

Frank lost a bit of his self control after that, rocking his hips down roughly against Gerard, but by the sound that left Gerard's mouth, he didn't seem to mind.

In fact Gerard's hands slipped lower, gripping Franks hips like it was his lifeline; pulling him back down against him.

"Oh, Gee." Frank groaned as they pulled away for air, their crotches still pressed firmly against each other.

"Frankie?" Gerard asked nervously, his fears suddenly overwhelming him.

Frank glanced nervously down at Gerard, praying that he didn't do something wrong, and praying that Gerard didn't decide to stop, because Frank was so turned on it hurt, and he really didn't want to stop, but if that's what Gerard asked, he'd oblige.

"Is everything okay?"

"W-what exactly do you want to do? Because I'm really nervous.. and I don't know if I want to go all the way yet.. but I know I want to do something.. but I don't want you to be mad at me.."

"Oh.." Frank breathed out a sigh of relief. "We don't have to have sex tonight, not if you don't want to. But if you'd let me.." Frank paused, his hand sliding down Gerard's clothed chest, stopping just above his belt buckle. "I'd like to make you feel good.."

Gerard's breath hitched in his throat, and his hips moved forward at their own will.

"D-do I have to, too? B-because I d-don't know if I can.."

"You don't have to return the favor, if that's what you mean. Tonight is about you."

"A-are you sure because-"

"Gee, I'm positive, please?"

Frank sat up, resting his body weight on Gerard's thighs, his hand slowly trailing up his leg.

"O-okay- please-" Gerard nodded his head quickly, before he changed his mind.

Frank smirked to himself as his hand hovered over Gerard's crotch, gently pressing against it.

Gerard moaned quietly and let his head fall back against the pillow, the sensation of someone other than himself touching him there overwhelming him.

Franks heartbeat increased as he felt Gerard under his hand, even through the fabric of his jeans, he had dreamed of this, and it was finally happening.

Gerard whimpered quietly as Frank experimented motions with his hand, Frank feeling Gerard harden even more under his touch.

"I'm going to take off your jeans, okay?" Frank spoke softly, his free hand reaching towards Gerard's belt.

Gerard's nerves came back then,-if they had even left- and he gazed down at Frank with a nervous expression.

Frank knew what his fears were, and he wanted to assure him he had nothing to worry about.

"You know I think you're beautiful, every inch of you.."

"But I'm not." Gerard stated simply, appreciating Franks effort, but not believing a word he said.

"Trust me?"

Frank kept his motions paused as he waited for Gerard's answer, willing to wait the rest of the night if that's what it took.

After several more moments of silence Frank spoke up, presenting the option to stop once again, just so Gerard knew.

"We can stop-" Frank started, but was interrupted by Gerard's demanding voice, shocking Frank.

"Take them off." He had said, trying to sound as confident as possible. "B-but keep the boxers on, okay?" He added, the confidence gone from his voice.

Frank complied, gently undoing Gerard's pants, carefully tugging the fabric down, making sure to not pull the boxers down with it.

Gerard sighed softly as he kicked the constricting fabric off, but quickly grew embarrassed at the tent in his boxers.

He had never been so turned on in his entire life, and it was definitely evident.

Frank couldn't help but stare, he couldn't help but admire the soft pale skin of Gerard's thighs, the light stretchmarks on them, he was just so in awe of how his boyfriend looked.

"Wow." He breathed out, his cheeks flushed. "You are so beautiful.."

Franks hands trailed up Gerard's thighs slowly, feeling goosebumps rise onto his skin as his touch went higher and higher.

"Frank-" Gerard gasped out as Franks fingertips slipped underneath the fabric of his boxers.

"Yeah?" Frank replied, glancing up at Gerard's face, his pupils blown.

"I- it hurts- can we-"

Frank didn't need to hear anymore, and within seconds he was kissing Gerard again, rocking his lower half again him gently.

They continued with this, their lower halves rubbing against each other while their lips danced. Gerard hesitantly reached his hand out and placed it against the back of Franks thigh, sliding up slowly before losing his confidence.

Frank knew what Gerard was trying to do, because he could read his boyfriend like a book, and he wanted to let Gerard know it was okay.

So with one of Franks hands he reached behind him, grabbing Gerard's hand and pulling it up higher, resting it firmly against his ass.

Frank shivered as he felt Gerard's hand there, the sensation making his whole body hot.

Gerard squeezed experimentally, and smiled into the kiss after it caused Frank to gasp softly.

His other hand slipped behind Frank, mimicking the other hand, and pulled Frank gently down against him.

It caught Frank off guard, and he let out a loud moan, breaking the kiss.

"Oh, god, Gee." He panted out as Gerard continued to grip the flesh softly.

Gerard smiled and squeezed harder, loving the affect it had on Frank.

But jeans were a big obstacle and he wanted to feel more, he wanted to feel his soft skin, not the rough fabric of his jeans.

"Can we take them off?" Gerard questioned softly, his hands slipping to the front of the jeans, just over the button.

"Oh, please." Frank groaned, sitting up so Gerard could undo his pants for him.

Frank let out a quiet breath as Gerard undid the button and pulled down the zipper, Gerard gasped at the sight, because Frank was really, really, hard. Gerard didn't think he was able to turn someone on like that, but the proof was right in front of him, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I did that." He spoke confidently as his fingertips trailed over the bulge in Franks boxers.

Frank groaned loudly at the sensation of Gerard touching him for the first time, even something as simple as that, and quickly tugged off the rest of his jeans, his boxers coming down slightly at his rash movements.

Gerard's attention was caught at the slight v lines dipping into Franks boxers, his sudden boost of confidence giving him an idea.

"Frankie?" Franks gaze reached up to Gerard. "C-can I, uh, try something?" He finished, not sure if he could actually go through with what he was planning.

"Of course..." Frank replied, waiting for Gerard to speak more.

Gerard sat up, resting his back against the wall behind his bed, Frank following and resting on Gerard's thighs.

Gerard reached down to grip at Franks hips, pulling him up into a kneeling position.

Franks heart pounded in his chest as Gerard leaned closer to him, his lips slowly trailing over Franks v line.

Gerard kissed at the skin softly, his tongue slowly poking out to trace the lines.

"O-oh-" Frank stuttered out, feeling Gerard's hands slip behind him, once again gripping the flesh roughly.

Gerard smiled against Franks skin, Frank's positive reaction fueling him to move his mouth lower, his chin pulling Franks boxers down just slightly.

"Maybe I should fix it." Gerard giggled to himself, pulling away to look up at Frank. "Can I take them off?"

Frank wanted to say yes, he wanted to say yes and let Gerard do whatever he wanted, even if he backed out after a few seconds, but he wanted something else in return.

"Will you take your shirt off?"

Gerard frowned and gazed down at his still clothed chest.

He didn't want to, but he wanted to make Frank happy, and he wanted to get over his confidence issues, maybe this would help.

"Okay." Gerard agreed, pulling his shirt over his head before he had a chance to change his mind.

He was left in only his boxers now, just like Frank.

"I'm so proud of you." Frank praised, his arms hanging loosely around Gerard's neck, leaning in to place a soft kiss against his lips.

"Can we have sex?" Gerard whispered against Franks lips, causing the younger boy to pull away with wide eyes.

"I-if you want.. I-"

"Do you want to?" Gerard interrupted, Franks nervous response causing him to grow nervous himself.

"Of course I want to." Frank breathed out, his forehead resting against Gerard's. "I'm just so nervous."

"M-maybe it could be like our first kiss, you know? We were both nervous then.. but it turned out great.."

Frank nodded and smiled, leaning in to kiss Gerard once again.

Gerard tugged gently at Franks boxers, and Frank lifted his hips, allowing the fabric to be pulled down further.

"Oh.." Gerard blushed once Frank was completely exposed, which of course caused Frank to blush too.

"Is everything okay?" He asked nervously, now he was the one feeling self conscious.

A shy smile formed on Gerard face, identical to the one he had on when he noticed how turned on Frank was, and he gazed up at Frank.

"You're perfect."

"I-" Frank started, but was cutoff as Gerard's shy hand wrapped around him. "Shit."

Frank gripped Gerard's shoulders tightly as Gerard's hand slowly started to move. Frank had never been touched like this by anyone besides himself, and this felt so much better than his own hand.

Pre cum began to form at the tip, and if it had been with anyone else, Frank would have been embarrassed. But it wasn't with anyone else, it was with his wonderful boyfriend, who he loved and trusted, so he let himself relax, letting the soft moans spill from his lips as Gerard's hand moved faster.

Gerard moaned softly as his free hand reached down to palm himself, and that's when Frank took control again.

He pulled Gerard down against the bed, and attacked his neck with his lips.

Gerard made no sign that he wanted to stop, so Frank slipped his hand in between them, palming Gerard gently through his boxers.

After some more time with no attempt to stop, Frank slipped his hand inside of Gerard's boxers, wrapping his fingers around him gently.

"Frank-" Gerard moaned out. "Please don't stop."

Frank smiled against Gerard's skin, his mouth moving lower, kissing at his collarbones.

His kisses continued to trail down as he pumped Gerard slowly, causing the older boy to moan loudly.

Frank really had no idea what he was doing, he was running off of instinct, and right now his instinct was to keep moving lower with his mouth.

He paused once he reached Gerard's lower stomach, he could physically feel Gerard shaking underneath him, his skin hot to the touch.

With no objection from Gerard, Frank slowly pulled down his boxers.

Gerard was no where near as nervous as he had been, his mind was now clouded with lust.

Frank decided to keep going with his instinct, and despite being nervous as hell, he lowered his head, placing a soft kiss against Gerard's tip.

He gasped and propped himself up with his elbows, staring down at Frank with wide anxious eyes.

Gerard didn't ask him to stop, so he opened his mouth slowly, taking bit by bit, sucking gently as he continued down.

Gerard moaned loudly, mumbling a curse word as he did, which was very rare for him.

Frank went down as far as he could without gagging, before slowly pulling up and repeating his actions.

He realized he couldn't fit all of Gerard in his mouth, at least yet anyways, so he wrapped his hand around him, just under his mouth, leaving no spot untouched as his head continued to bob up and down slowly.

Gerard had never felt anything so amazing in his entire life, and he wished he could feel this way forever, but the burning in his gut alerted him that it would be over soon.

Frank cringed as the bitter taste of pre cum spilled onto his tongue, but he kept going, because even though it didn't taste good, he was really enjoying it.

"F-frank-" Gerard gasped out, his hips jerking forward. "I think I'm gonna-"

Frank pulled away abruptly, spit trailing down his chin in an obscene manner.

He didn't want to stop, he wanted to keep going, he wanted to make Gerard come, but he wanted to make love to him more.

"Do you still want to have sex?" Frank questioned quickly, because he was about to lose it, and if the answer was no he was going to finish the job himself, it would only take a few flicks of the wrist anyways.

"Y-yeah, but be gentle, o-okay?"

Frank nodded his head, already reaching over to his bedside table, retrieving the lube and condom.

"Where did you get those?"

"My mom." Frank cringed. "Let's not talk about that right now."

"Okay.." Gerard giggled quietly, picturing Mrs. Iero giving Frank the items. "What do I do?"

"Just relax.." Frank spoke softly, settling himself in between Gerard's legs, his nerves returning again.

His shaky hands opened the bottle of lube, and he coated two of his fingers in it.

"I'm just gonna uh- prep you, okay?" Frank spoke nervously, lowering his hand.

Gerard nodded his head slowly, watching closely at Frank, awaiting the intruding feeling soon to come.

Frank took a deep breath before slowly pushing his finger inside of Gerard, his breath hitching slightly at the pressure around his finger.

"Y-you okay?" Frank stuttered out after no response from Gerard.

"Feels weird.." Gerard mumbled. "But good."

"Good." Frank nodded, mostly to reassure himself. "I'm going to add another okay?"

Gerard winced quietly as Frank pushed the second finger in, pain shooting through his lower back.

He got used to it rather quickly though, and before long Frank had a slow pace going, pushing his fingers in and out of Gerard slowly.

Frank could feel Gerard relax around his fingers, so he decided to try something new. He twisted his fingers at an upward angle, and within seconds Gerard was clenching around him, moaning loudly.

Frank couldn't help but giggle, his immature teenager side showing.

"W-what?" Gerard breathed out, his body still shaking slightly from that pleasure.

"I found your gee-spot." Frank giggled again, proud of his totally inappropriate pun.

But Gerard had found it funny, too. It was pretty clever, and he couldn't help but laugh too.

"Oh my god." He breathed out. "Only you would make a joke like that during something like this."

"I'm sorry." Frank replied, a tear of laughter falling from his eye. "I'll get back to it."

Frank fingers were moving again before Gerard had a chance to respond, so the boy only whimpered in response.

Gerard wasn't feeling any pain now, but he enjoyed what Frank was doing too much to actually say anything.

"Do you think you're ready?"

"I- I think so- but, can we do this for a little longer?"

Frank nodded, even though he was aching to get some attention himself, and continued to move his fingers.

Gerard mewled under the new sensation, again wishing it could last forever.

But he could see how uncomfortable Frank was getting, and he understood that Frank needed attention too, so he finally told him to continue.

Frank put the condom on quickly, knowing how to because his mother of course showed him how with a banana.

Frank moaned softly as he covered himself in lube, already so close that he was tempted to just pump a little faster, sending him into his release.

But he refrained, and slowly lined himself up with Gerard, watching him closely for any signs of distress, before slowly pushing the tip in.

Franks mind about blew with the sensation he was feeling, he had barely pushed in and he already felt like he was on drugs.

Gerard, on the other hand whimpered painfully, the stretch being much bigger than Franks fingers, and causing him pain.

Frank cursed under his breath, forcing himself to stay still as he waited for Gerard to adjust.

"M-maybe if we angle your body it will feel better." Frank suggested through clenched teeth.

Gerard nodded, eager to try anything that would ease the pain, and lifted his hips off of the bed.

The pain eased instantly, and he breathed out a relieving sigh, telling Frank to continue.

Frank pushed in a little more than he intended to after that, and the painful gasp that left Gerard's lips was proof it was a bad idea.

"Fuck- sorry-" Frank forced through clenched teeth. "Just feels so fucking good- you make me feel so fucking good-"

Despite the pain, Gerard wrapped his legs around Franks body tightly, pulling him against him.

Frank let out a high pitched moan, and his body collapsed against Gerard's.

Gerard struggled to relax under the foreign intrusion, but the pain was pretty excruciating.

Frank seemed to sense that though, and began placing soft kisses against Gerard's chest, while his hand slipped between their bodies, wrapping his hand around Gerard and pumping quickly.

After several moments Gerard was finally able to relax, and the pain subsided quickly.

Frank used his hands to pull himself up, so he was able to gaze down at his boyfriend lovingly.

"Are you okay?"

Gerard nodded his head slowly, gazing up at Frank with shy eyes.

He was nervous again, was he good enough for Frank? Was he making Frank feel good?

"Baby, what's wrong?" Frank questioned softly, considering pulling out right then and dismissing the whole sex idea.

"You're just so perfect.." Gerard stuttered out. "A-and I wanna be perfect for you.."

"Oh, baby." He mumbled, leaning down to kiss his boyfriend reassuringly. "You're better than perfect, and I love you."

Gerard blushed, embarrassed that he was being so silly, especially at a time like this.

Frank pulled out slowly, watching his boyfriend closely before pushing back in, his eyes never leaving Gerard's.

Gerard's breathing increased as the pain slowly turned into pleasure, and his eyes fell shut as Frank continued his slow pace.

Frank gradually sped up, soon hitting Gerard's 'gee-spot' causing the other boy to become more vocal, moaning softly and panting heavily.

"F-Frank- right there- feels so good, please-"

Frank smiled to himself as he pushed in at that same angle, with slightly more force, making Gerard cry out his name.

He had never seen Gerard this way, and it was definitely a scene, and he hoped it would happen again.

Gerard just looked so mesmerizing like this, his skin glistening with sweat, his eyes squeezed shut with his head thrown back, his hands clutching the bed sheets like his life depended on it.

"You're amazing-" Frank panted out during thrusts, "I love you so much, you make me so happy-"

Compliments spilled from his lips as he grew closer and closer to his release, and he quickly wrapped a hand around Gerard, hoping to send him over the edge with him.

"Frank-" Gerard moaned out, rocking his hips against Franks, causing their bodies to collide with more force. "Frank, Frank, Frank-" He chanted out, well aware that he was being loud, and well aware that he was going to be extremely embarrassed after this was over.

Franks lips crashed against Gerard's in a wet sloppy kiss, his hand motions speeding up, causing that burn to form in the pit of Gerard's stomach.

"Gerard-" Frank panted out as he pulled away from the kiss. "I'm gonna- oh- uh- shit-" Frank let out a strangled cry as he came into the condom, the glorious sound sending Gerard over the edge too, whimpering Franks name as he did so.

They slowed their movement, slipping through their high together, before Frank slowly pulled out.

Gerard whimpered quietly at the lost feeling, and Frank quickly tied off the condom, tossing it into the trash can by his bed.

Gerard had come all over his chest, which to him wasn't a pleasant feeling, so Frank quickly grabbed some tissues off of his bedside table, tissues that were there for totally innocent reasons.

Frank cleaned Gerard up quickly, tossing the dirtied tissues into the same garbage can as the condom.

"My clothes-" Gerard spoke quietly, pulling the blankets over his body, wanting to be covered as soon as possible.

His confidence issues weren't solved by having sex once. Maybe over time it would help, but for right now, he was extremely uncomfortable and extremely embarrassed.

But Frank was already two steps ahead of him, walking over to Gerard's bag still naked, grabbing the boys pajamas, tossing them to him instantly, so he could get dressed.

Frank pulled on a pair of boxers as Gerard got dressed, leaving it at that.

Gerard surprised Frank by only putting on his shirt and boxers, leaving his pajama pants on the edge of the bed.

He grinned ear to ear when he realized Gerard was becoming more comfortable in his own skin, the Gerard he knew yesterday would have refused to sleep without his pants, but now he did it all on his own.

Gerard had that shy smile across his face as Frank climbed back into bed with him, his arm wrapping around him protectively.

"We just had sex." Gerard stated quietly. "I can't believe it.."

"Was it good for you, though? You wanted to do it, right?" Frank questioned nervously, mistaking Gerard's tone as regret.

"Of course I wanted to." Gerard smiled up at his boyfriend. "I feel so much closer to you now..."

Frank smiled and squeezed Gerard tightly against his body.

"You know.." Frank whispered. "I always wanted it to be you."

"Wanted what to be me?"

"I always wanted you to be the person I gave my virginity to. And I always hoped we'd lose it together, and I always hoped it would be as special as it was."

Gerard blushed and rested his head against Franks still bare chest, trying to hide the redness on his cheeks.

"Really?" He breathed against his skin. "I always hoped it'd be you, too. You're the only person I've ever trusted like that, and you made me feel so special tonight."

"I wanna make you feel special everyday." Frank kissed the top of Gerard's head, despite his hair being sticky with sweat.

"You do." Gerard started, clutching Franks side tightly, his emotions suddenly hitting him at full force. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Shh." Frank cooed, trying to calm Gerard down. "You won't ever have to find out, I promise, I'll be by your side no matter what."

Gerard sniffled against Franks chest, and nodded slowly, his eyes becoming heavy with drowsiness.

"I love you." He spoke with a yawn, snuggling closer to Frank.

"I love you too, baby. Now get some sleep, I'll be here in the morning."

Gerard nodded his head again, this time with less energy, before he closed his eyes, falling asleep in the safety of his boyfriends arms.

Frank wasn't ready to sleep yet, his adrenaline was still pumping through his veins. So he just held Gerard tightly as he began to snore, reminiscing on their whole lives, and just what he might be doing right now if he hadn't met the strange little boy named Gerard Way at his daycare.

The daycare he remembered dreading, the daycare he wish he didn't have to attend.

But now, over ten years later, he was grateful his mother forced him there while she was at work.

Because if she hadn't, he wouldn't be holding the love of his life right now, he'd probably be sleeping alone, wishing he had someone like Gerard to call his own.

But all because of his mother, he didn't have to wish.

This was his reality, and he wouldn't change it for the world.


	6. Age Seventeen (2)

Frank was the first to wake up that morning, and Gerard was cuddling him from behind, his arm over Frank's torso protectively.

Frank smiled and snuggled closer to him, gasping softly as he felt something hard against his ass.

It wasn't unusual for them to wake up with morning wood, it happened more often than not, but they usually pretended they didn't notice, so the other wouldn't be embarrassed.

But it was different now, they had been intimate, they had sex, Frank didn't feel the need to ignore it this time.

He wanted to help Gerard, and he was hoping Gerard would let him now.

Gerard was still fast asleep, and he let out a soft breath as he pressed his body against Frank's.

Frank wondered what Gerard was dreaming about, he wondered if he was dreaming about last night.

Which he was, he was dreaming about every single thing that had happened the day before.

Frank found himself getting hard as Gerard let out quiet sounds, his hand clutching Frank's chest, the little whimpers that left his lips every time his hips pressed forward.

Frank lost it after Gerard had mumbled his name, well, more like moaned his name, and he shook him awake.

Gerard woke with a start, and he gazed down at Frank with a startled expression; it softened once he woke up more though, and he smiled sweetly at Frank.

"What're you dreaming about?"

Gerard just stared at him for a moment, like he was trying to remember, and then his eyes widened once it hit him.

And with a quick glance under the blankets, he realized Frank already knew what he was dreaming about.

"I'm sorry-" Gerard stuttered out, pulling away from Frank. "I didn't mean to-"

Frank just turned to face him, an understanding smile on his face.

"You know... I don't think my mom and dad will be home until a while later.."

Gerard's cheeks flared red, but he didn't pull away when Frank moved closer.

"Y-Yeah?" Gerard stuttered out, feeling excited and terrified at the same time.

"Yeah.." Frank bit his lip, his hand slowly landing on Gerard's hip. "We're all alone."

Gerard shivered, and before he knew it he was kissing Frank, his fingers tangled in the dark locks.

Frank slowly slid his hand behind Gerard, but that's when he broke the kiss.

"F-Frank?" He stuttered out. "Can you double check that your mom isn't home?"

Frank just smiled and pecked him on the lips quickly, before getting out of bed and walking over to his door.

"Mom?" He called out, there was no response. "Dad? You guys home?" 

When there was still no response, he turned to Gerard, an excited smile across his face.

Suddenly his phone went off though, and he grabbed it off of his desk.

"Frankie and Gee, we'll be home around three, take money out of the jar on top of the fridge if you want to buy lunch. Love mom."

Frank grinned as he checked the time, it was only eleven.

Gerard was onto his back again, using his elbows to prop himself up while he gazed at Frank with a shy smile.

"We're wasting time, Frankie.." He giggled quietly, his giggles turning into full laughter as Frank jumped back onto the bed, pouncing on Gerard.

Frank was laughing too, his hands cupping the side of Gerard's face as he placed a bunch of quick kisses on his lips.

Gerard relaxed against the bed, his hands holding onto Frank's sides tightly as Frank followed him down.

Frank was straddling Gerard's hips, and leaning down to kiss him, a few moments later and he began to gently roll his hips against Gerard.

A choked out moan vibrated from the back of Gerard's throat, and he lowered his hands down Frank's body, his hands shyly grasping Frank's ass through his boxers.

"I love your butt." Gerard giggled, squeezing it softly. "I like touching it."

Frank smiled and rolled his hips down with more force, causing Gerard to make that muffled sound again.

Gerard was embarrassed by the sounds his body was trying to make, so he tried his best to muffle them.

"Good, because I really like you touching it."

Gerard giggled again, and leaned up to kiss Frank, his hips starting to move against the other.

Frank groaned quietly at the still new sensation, and he lowered his head into the crook of Gerard's neck, kissing the skin roughly.

Gerard let out another one of those sounds, followed by a desperate whimper, and he raised his hands, his fingers sneaking into the waistband of Frank's boxers.

"C-Can I?" 

Frank nodded against his neck, but didn't stop kissing until his boxers were around his thighs.

Once his boxers were around his thighs he sat up, still straddling Gerard.

Gerard couldn't help but stare, Frank was beautiful, and Gerard just wanted to touch every inch of him.

So that's what he did, he ran his hands up Frank's thighs slowly, looking up at Frank shyly before he slowly reached out and curled his fingers around Frank.

"Oh, god." Frank groaned, letting his head fall back slightly.

"This okay?" Gerard questioned shyly, licking his lower lip slowly.

"Yeah-" Frank sighed, slowly thrusting into Gerard's hand. "This is, yeah-"

Frank was throbbing against Gerard's palm, and it was making the pool of lust in his belly grow. 

He couldn't resist but to slip his free hand inside his boxers, a quiet sound leaving his lips as he palmed himself gently.

That caught Frank's attention though, and he quickly gazed down at Gerard's hand, which he removed the second Frank saw.

He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed, but he was.

"Can I?" Frank questioned softly, lowering his hands to the waistband of Gerard's boxers. "Please?"

Gerard nodded shyly, and lifted his hips, allowing Frank to tug them down slowly.

Frank's mouth watered at the sight, which he really didn't understand- all he knew was he enjoyed going down on Gerard for those brief moments last night, and he wouldn't mind doing it again.

"Gee, c-can I, uh, can I give you a blowjob?"

Frank's whole body was red with embarrassment, but he didn't know how else to put it, he was inexperienced, and he didn't know how to ask something like that.

Luckily for him though, Gerard was obviously just as inexperienced, and didn't mind the way Frank proposed the question.

"Please?" Gerard practically whimpered, his entire body shivering with anticipation. 

Frank tried not to hesitate, because he knew if he hesitated, he wouldn't do it.

So he lowered himself down the bed, gently taking Gerard into his hand and pumping slowly.

Gerard stifled a moan as he felt the new sensation once again, and he clutched the bed sheets roughly.

Frank noticed his struggle with being quiet, and he wondered if he was doing it on purpose because he was embarrassed.

He didn't want him to be embarrassed though, and he didn't want him to hold back.

"Gee," he spoke softly, still moving his hand. "Don't try to be quiet, please, I wanna hear you.."

Gerard looked down nervously at Frank, but nodded his head anyways.

Frank smiled and slowly circled the tip with his thumb, before gently pushing down into the slit.

Gerard let out a quiet whimper and pressed his head back into the pillow, his hips pressing forward into Frank's hand.

Frank continued on then, slowly lowering his head to circle the tip with his tongue.

"Oh, god." Gerard breathed out as Frank slowly took more into his mouth. "Feels too good to be real-"

Frank had no fucking idea what he was doing, he was going off of what he saw in porn, but in porn you couldn't see what the guy was doing with his tongue; he feared what he was doing wasn't good, but as Gerard started to let out more sounds, he figured he was doing okay.

He couldn't take all of Gerard into his mouth either, he was too afraid to try deep throating him just yet, so whenever Gerard brushed against his gag reflex he would pull away.

But he didn't leave that skin untouched, he had his fingers curled around the inches he couldn't take, and he twisted his fist with each bob of his head.

Gerard was still trying to muffle his sounds, despite what Frank had said; he was lying against the bed with his knees bent on either side of Frank, his head back against the pillow, his hands clutching desperately at the bed sheets as needy whimpers left his mouth.

(that image tho amirite)

Frank was really enjoying himself, so much so that he kinda got carried away, and accidentally scraped his teeth against Gerard.

He pulled his mouth away as Gerard winced, but he kept his hand on him, pumping slowly.

"Gee, I'm s-"

"Fuck, don't stop-" Gerard interrupted him, his hips twitching softly against Frank's hand.

Frank complied instantly though, because Gerard never cursed for no reason, which meant he really, really, didn't want Frank to stop.

He had cursed last night while they were having sex, but Frank was pretty sure that was the first time he heard him cuss since the time he accidentally ran into the bathroom door and busted his nose. 

Gerard let out an actual moan as Frank continued, and that sound along with hearing Gerard say 'fuck' was enough to have Frank whimpering himself, his hand reaching between his legs to give himself some of his own friction.

Gerard didn't moan again after that, but he continued to whine and whimper loudly, his body squirming against the bed.

"Frank-" Gerard whimpered quietly, the sound of his name coming out like that making the pool of lust in Frank's stomach churn. "Frank- Frank- Frank-"

As Gerard grew closer to his climax it seemed like the only word he could form was 'Frank', but Frank didn't mind, not one bit.

"Gonna-" Gerard gasped out. "Gonna- oh Frank oh Frank oh Frank-"

Frank mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen, but he was still shocked as the warm salty substance coated his mouth.

He gagged slightly at the unfamiliar taste, and panicked when he realized he had no idea what to do next.

Did he keep sucking?

Did he pull away?

Did he spit it out?

Did he swallow it?

He could hear Gerard gasping above him, so he decided to keep going. In porn they always swallowed, and Frank was no bitch, so he was going to swallow too.

'Spitters are quitters', he thought as he forced himself to swallow the first bit, seconds later realizing that he was a fucking quitter because there was no way he was swallowing all of this. 

He pulled away after a few moments, the taste becoming unbearable, and he spit it out onto his bed.

He didn't get a chance to look up before Gerard was kissing him, Gerard's hands cupping his head softly.

Gerard tasted a whole lot better than his come did, so Frank kissed back hungrily. 

Gerard could taste it in his mouth, but he was too full of bliss to care. 

Frank was still hard though, so while he was kissing him, Gerard reached a hand between them, and started jerking him off quickly. 

"Oh, fuck-" Frank groaned into the kiss, his hips thrusting desperately into Gerard's hand. "I'm gonna come, baby-"

Gerard smiled and pulled away from the kiss, he wanted to see Frank lose it, he wanted to see Frank lose it because of him. 

Frank gazed at Gerard with his mouth hung open as he grew closer and closer; Gerard nibbling on his lower lip and that was it for Frank, he cried out softly as he came into Gerard's hand.

"Oh god." Frank groaned, his body falling against Gerard's.

Gerard giggled and pulled him back against the bed, avoiding the mess they had just made.

He put his boxers back on as well, but Frank just laid there, completely naked and not giving a single fuck.

"Do you want your clothes?" Gerard asked as he glanced over Frank's naked body.

Gerard hadn't taken his shirt off in the first place, so after putting his boxers back on he was pretty close to being fully dressed.

"Do you want me to put my clothes back on?" 

"Not really." Gerard smiled. "But if you don't you'll get cold, and when you get cold you get sick."

Frank groaned and pressed his face into the pillow, cursing his body for having such an awful immune system. 

He just wanted to stay naked and cuddle with his boyfriend, but in the end he did get dressed, and then they went downstairs and ordered pizza.

After Frank put his bed sheet and blankets in the washer of course.

-

They were in the living room watching a movie, Gerard lying across the couch with his head on Frank's lap, and Frank sitting up right with his fingers twirling Gerard's hair, when Frank's mom and dad returned home. 

Gerard sat up as they entered the living room, and Linda greeted them both with a smile, and a kiss on the top of the head.

"Did you boys have fun while we were gone?" 

Gerard's cheeks turned bright red instantly, and he gazed shyly at Frank, an adoring smile ghosting on his lips.

He was feeling all shy and embarrassed, and he discretely slid his hand into Frank's.

Luckily Frank was more collected than him, and was able to answer the question easily.

"Yeah, we watched movies." He replied casually, trying to fight off his own smile.

Linda was eyeing Gerard down though, she had a feeling something else had happened, and she knew Gerard would be the one to cave.

"W-We watched that new comedy you bought us." Gerard added as confidently as possible, a convincing smile on his red face. 

"Was it good?" 

"Oh, so good." Frank replied dramatically, grinning softly as Gerard looked at him with a startled expression.

Frank was being pretty obvious in Gerard's mind, and he made a mental note to complain about it later.

That was what gave it away to Linda, she knew her son like the back of her hand, and that little grin was enough proof that something had happened while she was gone.

She wasn't going to meddle in their business, well, maybe after Gerard left she would.

But it would be for motherly reasons, of course, she wanted to make sure they were being safe and all.

"Dinners at six." She smiled, gazing over at the T.V. screen. "Enjoy your movie."

Gerard let out a breath once she was gone, and looked over at Frank with an angry, yet adorable expression across his face.

"You were so obvious." 

"No I wasn't!" Frank defended, laughing quietly as Gerard smacked his arm playfully. "She didn't suspect a thing."

"Right." Gerard rolled his eyes, settling himself back onto the couch with his head back in Frank's lap. 

Frank just smiled and ran his fingers through Gerard's hair, not even focusing on the movie anymore, but instead on his beautiful boyfriend.

That is until he realized how snoopy his mother was, and how he just left the condom and wrapper on the top of his garbage can in his room.

"Shit- Gee, get up-"

He didn't even explain before he was dashing to his room, leaving Gerard on the couch feeling lonely and confused.

He'd make up for that later though, right now he had to get rid of that stuff before his mom found it.

They were right on top as he entered the room, he could see them clearly from the door way, and to make matters worse, his mother was calling out for him and approaching his room.

Frank panicked and grabbed the top layer of garbage with his hands- his mother would be suspicious if it was completely empty- and quickly shoved it under his bed, just as she walked in.

"Where's your bed spread?" 

"In the wash."

"Why?"

"I spilled coffee on it this morning." 

Frank was a smooth liar by this point of his life, even if his mother always figured out the truth.

She didn't believe the coffee excuse, not after Gerard got all flustered earlier, or how Frank said the 'movie' was 'oh so good'.

She wasn't stupid, but again she wasn't going to push it until Gerard went home, she didn't want to embarrass him.

Frank on the other hand, she could embarrass the hell out of him.

"Bye mom." Frank spoke again before she had a chance to, quickly walking by her and back into the living room.

He didn't tell Gerard the cause of his sudden panic, because he didn't want Gerard to worry, which he would even though the problem was solved now, so he settled for saying he really had to pee.

Gerard didn't question it, and soon they were back together on the couch, watching the movie peacefully.

-

Gerard didn't want to go home that night, but his mother wanted him home since it was a school night, so he didn't have much of a choice.

"It's gonna be really hard sleeping alone now." Gerard giggled shyly as Frank walked him home, their fingers intertwined.

"Maybe I'll just sneak over in the middle of the night." Frank grinned, squeezing Gerard's hand softly. "Then we can 'sleep' together."

Gerard let out an adorable giggle, and gazed over at Frank.

"I can't believe we actually did that." He blushed slightly. "I didn't even think you wanted to... with me at least."

"I wanna do everything with you." Frank whispered, leaning his head against Gerard's shoulder. "You're my favorite person in the entire world."

Gerard was always amazed at the way Frank could make him feel so happy, it didn't matter what was going on in his life, Frank always made it better, no matter what.

"I love you." Gerard whispered, pausing on the sidewalk to pull Frank into a hug. "I love you so much."

Frank grinned and hugged back tightly, lifting his head to kiss Gerard softly.

"I love you, too."

-

Frank's mom hounded him for what seemed like hours when he got home, and he managed to play it off like nothing had happened for most of the time.

He ended up caving though, like he always did, because despite how good he was, his mother was better.

"Fine!" He groaned quietly, hoping his father wasn't within hearing distance. "We did... stuff."

"Did you two have sex?"

"Mom, please!" Frank begged, feeling extremely uncomfortable. "That's private.."

"Is that a yes?"

Frank just crossed his arms and pulled the most annoyed glare he could, hoping his mother would just give up and leave.

But when she didn't, he closed his eyes tightly, and took a deep breath, mumbling 'yes'.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together loudly. "Donna owes me 50 bucks!"

"Mom!" Frank gasped, turning his full attention back to her. "What the fuck?!"

"What?" She questioned as her excitement died down, acting like there was nothing wrong with betting on her sons virginity.

"Did you seriously bet on our virginity?"

"Maybe..." 

Frank just let out an angry breath and shook his head, mumbling 'I can't believe you.'

"Oh come on, Donna didn't think it would happen until after high school, and I knew you were a little stud so I had to bet on it, and I was right!"

"Well you can't tell her, you know that, right?" 

"Why not?" She frowned, and Frank just shook his head again.

"Because that's Gerard's personal business, and she shouldn't know until he wants her to."

Linda wanted to argue that, but she knew Frank was right.

It would be wrong of her to speak about Gerard's personal life without his permission, Frank on the other hand, well she carried him inside of her body for nine months, she could do what ever she pleased when it came to him.

"Fine." She sighed. "But if she doesn't know by the time you two graduate, we're telling her, I want my 50 dollars."

Frank cringed as he really processed what was happening. Their mothers had bet on when they'd have sex, which meant they had been talking about that sort of thing, which made Frank a bit uncomfortable.

What else had they bet on?

He wasn't surprised though, the two women had been nudging them on for years now, he really should have expected this.

They probably even had a bet on when they decided to get married, because they were that confident in their son's relationship. 

"Were you safe?" She spoke again after Frank hadn't, deciding to be a decent, normal, mother. 

That ship had sailed a long time ago though, and she wasn't fooling anyone.

"Mom, can we please not talk about this?"

"Were you respectful?"

"Mom!" Frank groaned, covering his face with his hands. "Yes, we were safe. Yes, I was respectful. Yes, it was nice. No, I'm not giving you details. No, you cannot ask anymore questions."

She pursed her lips together, fighting off the urge to argue.

"Fine..." She sighed, a smile forming on her face when she thought of something else to do. "Frank!" She called out, calling out to Frank's father while making her way out of the living room.

"Don't tell dad!" Frank pleaded desperately, groaning loudly when he realized she wasn't going to listen.

"What the fuck." He muttered to himself, his eyes wide as he shook his head.

He tried to think positively, his parents were being weird as hell, but at least they weren't mad, and at least they were supportive, and at least-

"My boy!" His dad called out as he entered the room, and Frank sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. "Or should I say my man?"

"Dad, please." Frank mumbled, his face turning red. 

It could be worse, it could be worse, it could be worse.

"Oh come on, my little boy is a man now, let me be excited."

Frank let out a breath and opened his eyes, frowning when his dad raised his hand for a high five.

"I'm not high fiving you." 

Frank didn't know how he felt about that, he felt like high fiving someone over the fact that he had sex with Gerard seemed weird. Like Gerard was just some prize, which don't get him wrong, Gerard was a prize, but he was so, so much more than that to Frank.

His dad wouldn't put his hand down though, so Frank just sighed and gave him what he wanted.

"Oh, baby." Linda spoke, leaning against her husband. "Remember our first time?"

Frank stuck around just long enough to see his father grin, and then he was hopping over the couch, sprinting into his room so he didn't have to witness what was sure to bring his dinner back up.

Luckily his mother had already remade his bed, so he could just change into his pajamas and then text Gerard.

So with a tired sigh, he climbed into bed, phone in hand, and tried to ignore the events that had occurred in the same bed he was currently lying in.

He was really tired, and didn't have the energy to rub one out tonight.

Despite being so tired, he ended up texting Gerard for several hours after that. 

It was around 1AM when Gerard stopped replying, and Frank knew he had fallen asleep. Gerard always fell asleep in the middle of their texts, he didn't like saying goodbye to Frank so he would stay up as long as his body would let him.

"Goodnight, Gee." Frank whispered, turning off his phone and plugging it into the charger.

-

Gerard smiled shyly as he opened the door for Frank, letting the shorter boy inside while he finished getting ready for school.

Gerard lived closer to the school, so Frank's mother always dropped him off at Gerard's house early on the way to work, and then they would get ready together.

Frank greeted Gerard with a kiss, and then they went about their normal routine, getting ready and having small conversation until it was time to leave for school.

It was quiet at the start of the walk to school, but that wasn't unusual for them; they usually spent that time thinking about what their day held, if they had any tests, if anything important was suppose to happen.

It was Gerard who eventually broke that silence, and his voice came out shy and afraid.

"So, um, my mom knows about what we did the other night.."

Gerard seemed ashamed that he had let that information out, because it was personal, and he didn't know how Frank would feel about that.

"That's okay." Frank spoke soon after, already knowing why Gerard seemed worried. "My mom does too."

"She does?" Gerard questioned, his cheeks turning light pink. "How did she find out?"

"She nagged me until the point of caving." Frank sighed. "I didn't want to tell her without, you know, discussing it with you, but she was driving me crazy Gee."

"I don't mind." Gerard shrugged softly, trying to ignore how he minded just a little bit. It's not that he minded Frank telling her, he just wished it hadn't been made into such a big deal. "I don't know how my mom figured it out, all she did was ask if I had fun at your house, and when I said yes, she somehow knew."

Frank resisted the urge to giggle, because he could picture the scene now; Gerard's cheeks getting rosy red, his teeth digging into his lower lip nervously, his hands fiddling together. 

Gerard didn't think he was that obvious, but Frank knew he was, and he thought it was adorable.

"How'd she take it?" Frank asked, deciding not to tease Gerard about how obvious he must of been. 

"She cried." Gerard laughed quietly. "She cried, and hugged me until I couldn't breath, and told me to stop growing up."

Frank had to resist the urge to giggle again, because he knew part of that crying was probably because now she owed his mom 50 bucks. 

Although crying over Gerard growing up and maturing definitely sounded like a Donna thing.

Frank didn't mention the bet, it wasn't that important, and he wasn't sure if it would upset Gerard or not.

He didn't want to risk it though, so he just kept his mouth shut.

"Sounds like your mom." 

"Yeah, how about your mom? How did she react?"

"Oh god." Frank groaned, wanting to forget everything that had happened. "She asked me all these questions, and wanted to know how it was, and then she started talking to my dad about their first time-" Frank shook his head, a shiver running up his spine. "It was worse than any horror movie I've ever seen."

Gerard giggled, the angelic sound warming Frank's body and pushing all the uncomfortable feelings away.

"I guess we're lucky." Gerard spoke. "Frances told me when she lost her virginity her mom grounded her for a month."

"Damn." Frank breathed out. "That's harsh."

"Let's just be grateful our parents are weird, instead of strict." Gerard laughed, grabbing Frank's hand as they entered the school building. "I don't know how I'd survive if I had to go a month without seeing you."

"Oh, that would not work." Frank giggled, leaning against Gerard affectionately. "I would sneak over to your house in the middle of the night to see you."

"It could be like Romeo and Juliet." Gerard smiled. "But hopefully neither of us would die."

"You and your fucking 'love stories'." Frank teased, letting go of Gerard's hand to open his locker. "I'll see you at lunch, I love you."

"I love you too." Gerard grinned, leaning in and capturing Frank's lip in a quick kiss. "Have a good day."

-

It all seemed uphill for Gerard after that point, being with Frank in that way, when he had thought no one would ever want him like that, boosted his confidence incredibly. 

He was initiating things more, he was open about how he felt when he was turned on, he didn't hide it from Frank anymore.

They fooled around every chance they got after that, which to both of their disappointment, didn't happen very often.

It seemed like their parents were always around, but eventually, that didn't stop them.

They never had actual sex when their parents were in the house, but they'd sneak fast hand jobs in their bedrooms whenever they knew their parents were busy.

Gerard was actually the first one to initiate that, it was a Monday night after they had dinner, and they were in Frank's room watching a movie.

They were snuggled up under the blanket when Gerard slowly slid his hand onto Frank's thigh, and after Frank showed no signs of wanting Gerard to stop, Gerard slowly slipped his hand into Frank's pants.

It was safe enough, you couldn't tell what was happening under the blanket so if Frank's mom came in for some reason, she wouldn't have been able to tell what was going on.

They fooled around a lot more after they realized how easy it was to get away with simple stuff like that, and they found themselves doing it in the most random places.

They didn't do it behind the school bleachers though, as ironic as that would have been.

Gerard didn't like the idea of doing it where they could be caught by anyone, and Frank respected that.

That's not all that changed after they had sex though, Gerard also slowly became more comfortable in his own body.

It was small things at first, like changing in front of Frank while the other could see him, or sleeping in his boxers.

But over time it became more than that, as the summer days approached Gerard found himself sleeping in his boxers alone, which was a huge accomplishment for him because his upper body was one of his biggest insecurities.

And as more time passed, he found himself comfortable enough to shower with Frank. 

He was comfortable being completely exposed, the light showing everything, in front of Frank.

And on the rare occasions when they were able to have actual sex, Gerard would cuddle with Frank for a while afterwards before putting his boxers back on.

Frank always told Gerard how beautiful he was, and how proud he was of Gerard for overcoming his insecurities. 

That probably helped more than anything, and what made it better was that Frank was saying those things because he truly believed it.

He wasn't making up things, or being overly dramatic to make Gerard feel better, no, he truly believed every single word he said.

By the time summer was over they had done practically everything they could do sexually, everything besides having Gerard on top.

Frank had been curious about bottoming ever since Gerard had done it, Gerard seemed to enjoy it so much and Frank wanted to feel what it was like.

Gerard had always dismissed the idea, he never wanted to top, he was always too afraid of hurting Frank, or somehow embarrassing himself.

But that changed the last week of summer vacation; Gerard had been trying to convince himself to try it all summer, and now that there was only a week left, and his parents were out of town, he decided to take the jump.

It had caught Frank off guard when he told him he wanted to try it, that night, but Frank wouldn't let his anxieties ruin this, he knew he wanted it, and it was going to happen. 

It was really awkward at first, and Gerard kept apologizing every time Frank would wince slightly.

But after the stressful prepping and pushing in part, things got better.

Gerard couldn't believe how good it felt, and he couldn't believe how beautiful Frank looked with his back arching off his bed.

Frank was very overwhelmed with the sensations he was feeling, it was very different than being on top, but the pleasure he got out of it was mind blowing.

It didn't last very long, the pleasure was too much to handle for Gerard, and he came before Frank had finished.

But he helped Frank along with his fingers instead, and since Frank was already stretched and not in pain anymore, it wasn't awkward. 

They had showered together after that, which really just consisted of them making out while the water washed away the sweat coating their bodies.

"I love you." Gerard sighed as they returned to his room, collapsing back onto his bed. 

Frank grinned and snuggled up against Gerard, his head flat against his chest.

Frank felt so oddly content after that, he didn't understand why bottoming had such an affect on him, but he really hoped Gerard would be up for doing it more often.

"I love you too, Gee, forever."


	7. Age Twenty Two

Gerard glanced anxiously behind the curtain, watching as the seats in the auditorium filled.

He saw his mother and father up front, where he had reserved their seats, but that wasn't what he was focused on.

He was focused on the empty seat next to his mother, the seat he had reserved for Frank.

Gerard stood there for several moments, watching person after person fill into the room, waiting to see his beautiful boyfriend walk in as well.

The ceremony started in five minutes, he should be here by now.

"Hey." Ray greeted Gerard, resting his hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be going over your speech?"

"Yeah." Gerard sighed, letting the curtain fall closed. "Frank's just not here yet."

He pulled out his phone from under his gown, and checked to see if Frank had texted him.

He hadn't.

"He'll be here, I'm sure he's just running late. You know he wouldn't miss your college graduation." Ray tried. "Maybe call him?"

Gerard nodded to himself, and went to hit the call button when they were interrupted.

"All graduates to your correct seats, the ceremony is starting!" 

Gerard groaned loudly, pocketing his phone and rushing over to his seat.

He couldn't do this without Frank, if he didn't have Frank to focus on in the crowd, he would stumble over his words.

He felt nauseous as everyone found their seats, and the feeling only grew as the curtain opened, revealing them to the crowd of family and friends.

He still wasn't here.

The head of the school approached the podium, starting the opening speech.

Gerard wasn't listening though, he was staring blankly at the empty seat next to his mother, wondering why his boyfriend wasn't here yet.

He had promised to be here, he promised Gerard nothing in the world would stop him from being at his graduation.

Gerard was valedictorian, he had to give a big speech, and Frank had helped him write it, he had helped him rehearse it, he had to be here.

Gerard glanced at his mother then, and she smiled sympathetically at him, mouthing 'he'll be here'.

He was pulled from his thoughts though, as the head of the school's words rang through his ears.

"- our valedictorian, Gerard Arthur Way!"

Gerard glanced nervously at Ray, the cheering merely static noise in the back of his mind as he made his way over to the podium.

The cheering slowly died down once he was up there, and he tried to distracted himself by straightening up his speech cards.

He knew he couldn't stall any longer though, so with a quick glance towards Frank's empty seat, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I uh-" He stuttered out, glancing down at his cards, which now looked like gibberish. "Um-"

Luckily for Gerard though, there was a distraction as one of the auditorium doors flew open, and someone came rushing in.

Not just 'someone' though, no, it was his boyfriend, it was Frank.

Gerard's face broke into a smile as he watched his boyfriend attempt to fix his leather jacket as he rushed to his seat, his chest rising and falling as he attempted to catch his breath.

Frank smiled up at Gerard once he was settled, sending him a thumbs up, and mouthing 'I'm sorry I'm late.'

It didn't matter to Gerard that he was late, because he was here, and that's all Gerard needed.

Gerard glanced back down at his cards, and suddenly they weren't just gibberish anymore.

-

Gerard didn't even see Frank coming through the crowd of people, but within seconds he felt the strong arms around him, and the familiar scent of their shampoo filled his senses.

"I'm so, so proud of you." Frank breathed out against Gerard's chest. "You did so great up there, baby."

"I almost pissed my pants." Gerard laughed quietly, keeping his arms loosely around Frank as they pulled away from the hug. "Why were you late?"

"The meeting with Pency Prep went longer than expected. I'll make up for it, I promise."

"You made it, that's all that matters." Gerard smiled, leaning in to kiss him. "How did the meeting go? Did they make a decision? Are you in?"

"We'll talk about it later." Frank smiled, grabbing Gerard's hand. "Let's go find your parents."

-

They were having a party back at Gerard's parents house, celebrating the success of Gerard finally getting his art degree. 

He had been at school in New York for the past four years, and he was ecstatic to be back home with Frank.

They hadn't been able to spend as much time together as they were used to, and even though they had become used to it, they were still excited to get back to the way things were.

Gerard was enjoying the party, but he quickly became overwhelmed with all the attention and snuck into his house, trying to take a break from everyone.

Everyone except Frank, of course, Frank followed with him.

Frank knew how easily Gerard got overwhelmed, so he followed him inside and into his old bedroom.

Gerard let out a sigh as he fell against his old bed, and Frank just glanced around, smiling at all the memories that were held in this room.

"A lot of memories in here." Frank commented, falling against the bed next to Gerard. "Horror movies, video games, so much has happened in here."

"Yeah." Gerard smiled, turning on his side to look at Frank. "I gave you your first blowjob in here."

Frank burst into laughter at that, turning his head to face Gerard.

"You did." He spoke as his laughter died down. "You didn't use teeth, unlike me."

"That hurt." Gerard cringed, remembering the first time Frank went down on him. "But it was worth it in the end."

Frank only smiled in response, slowly slipping his hand into Gerard's.

They just laid there for a while, staring up at the ceiling, hands intertwined.

It was Gerard to finally speak again, he wanted to wait for Frank to bring it back up, but he feared Frank would ignore it until last minute if Gerard didn't say anything.

"Can I know how the meeting went now?" Gerard was afraid Frank hadn't said anything about it yet because the band didn't like him, and didn't want him to join. "Did you get in?"

It was silent again, Frank gently rubbing his thumb over Gerard's hand.

Gerard hoped he hadn't upset Frank by asking, but he was dying to know.

Frank had worked so hard before his audition, he was aching to know ever since that day.

"Yeah, I did..." Frank spoke softly, almost so softly Gerard didn't hear it. 

"Frank!" Gerard gasped, sitting up excitedly. "That's so great! I knew you could do it!"

He gazed down at Frank, who simply smiled up at him sadly.

"What's wrong?" Gerard frowned. "You really wanted in that band, didn't you?"

"I did." He sighed, slowly sitting up with Gerard. "It's just..." Frank paused, avoiding Gerard's gaze.

"What is it, Frankie?"

Frank kept his gaze away from Gerard, he didn't want to see the look in his eyes when he told him.

"They're starting a cross country tour in two weeks..." His voice was quiet. "I leave on the 25th..."

Frank didn't need to see it to know his words had broken Gerard's heart, he didn't need to see his face to know the pain it held. 

They had been separated for so long, and Gerard was finally home, just for Frank to leave?

Gerard's whole body ached as he processed what Frank had said; he couldn't be leaving, he couldn't be.

"W-What- b-but I just got home, I just-" Gerard's tone deflated towards the end, knowing there was nothing to say to keep Frank home. 

Well, actually, all he would have to say is 'Frank please don't leave', and Frank would leave the band, but Frank had encouraged Gerard to follow his dreams and go to art school, and Gerard had to encourage Frank's dreams as well.

He didn't know what else to say, so he let his gaze fall into his lap, trying to fight off the tears threatening to spill.

Frank was conflicted himself, it was tearing him apart breaking the news to Gerard, but this was his dream.

He had dreamed about touring his whole life, he had dreamed of traveling to other cities and thrashing on his guitar, he just wished Gerard could be there for the ride.

"You have to go." Gerard spoke quietly, already knowing Frank was contemplating leaving the band. "You can't miss out on your dream."

"Gee-" Frank spoke once a few tears fell from Gerard's eyes. "I-"

"No, no- it's okay-" Gerard rushed out, wiping his eyes as he turned his gaze over to Frank. "I-I'll go see the shows around here, and we'll talk on the phone, and we'll skype, and it will be okay-" 

He was rambling on, mostly trying to make himself feel better about the whole situation.

It's not that they didn't consider the whole touring thing when they talked about Frank joining a band, but they didn't think it would be so soon, or so far away.

"You won't be gone for that long, right?" Gerard choked out, still fighting the tears. 

"2 months..." Frank whispered, closing his eyes before he spoke the next part. "But if the tour goes well, we're going to go on an European tour..."

Any fake composure Gerard had before disappeared, and he fell back against the bed, a quiet sob leaving his lips as he did so.

"Europe?" Gerard whimpered, covering his eyes with his arm. "That's so far away..."

Frank didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to do, he just knew he wanted to be close to Gerard.

They only had two weeks before he left, they shouldn't spend that time being sad.

So he gently rolled on top of Gerard, pushing his arms around Gerard's back, and nuzzling his face against Gerard's neck.

Gerard reacted instantly, wrapping his arms around Frank, and resting his chin on Frank's head.

"I love you." Frank whispered, kissing Gerard's neck softly. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." Gerard choked out, squeezing Frank against his body. "Everything will be okay."

-

Gerard officially moved into Frank's apartment that week, seeing as he went to college right after high school, and had never lived anywhere besides there and his childhood home.

Most of his stuff was already there, because that's where he stayed when he visited Jersey, but they had never truly moved him in until now.

They spent that first week in the apartment, never leaving, not once.

They didn't want to waste any time they had together, so they spent the time just being together.

They cuddled, they had sex, they watched movies, they made art, they did all the things they loved to do together.

Frank eventually had to leave the apartment though, he had to meet up with the band to finalize tour plans.

He had such conflicting feelings about the tour, but he knew he would still have a blast either way, even if he had wished Gerard was with him.

So he walked into the building with a smile on his face, ready to discuss the first tour of his career.

Although that smile faltered after the rest of the band showed up.

"We have a small problem." The tour manager spoke, catching everyone's attention instantly. "Jeff can't join us on tour, which makes us one man short for stage crew."

"Why the fuck can't Jeff come?" Neil, one of the guitarists snapped. "He said he'd help us out."

"His mom is in the hospital, it's not looking good."

"Well fuck, now I feel like an asshole." Neil sighed. "Well, do we have someone who can cover him?"

"Not unless you know someone."

Their manager looked to each person, who each shook their head no, until he reached Frank.

"Uhh, they would just need to like, set up amps, and clean up, that kinda thing?"

"And be able to be on the road with us for two months." The manager nodded. "You know someone?"

"I just might."

-

Frank couldn't wait to get home that night, and he even picked up Gerard's favorite meal to make once he got home.

"Gee, I'm home!" Frank called out as he entered their small apartment, hanging his jacket on the hook by the door. "Gee, baby, you home?"

"In the room!" Gerard called back. "Drawin', don't come in!!"

Frank smiled to himself as he made his way into the kitchen with the groceries needed for dinner, Gerard only hid his art from Frank when it was being made for him, so he was excited to see what Gerard was making him.

He decided to start dinner while he waited for his boyfriend to finish up, and he was about halfway done when Gerard finally emerged into the kitchen.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gerard smiled as he made his way over to Frank, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Sure is." Frank grinned, leaning back against Gerard. "Homemade vegetarian lasagna, your favorite."

Making homemade lasagna was a lot of work, so Frank usually only made it for special occasions, and Gerard was curious as to what was so special about tonight.

Was it their anniversary? No, that was a few months ago.

Was it his birthday? No, of course he knew his own birthday!

He couldn't pinpoint what the occasion was, so he decided to just ask. 

"Why?" Gerard questioned. "What am I missing?"

"Does there have to be a reason to make my boyfriend his favorite meal?" Frank raised an eyebrow at him, turning his head slightly so Gerard could see it.

"I guess not." Gerard shrugged, pulling away from Frank and instead sitting at one of the chairs in their kitchen. "I'm just curious, that's all."

Frank wanted to spill and tell Gerard about the opportunity to possibly go on tour with him, but he had to get the lasagna in the oven first, that way he would have lots of time to discuss the subject while the food cooked.

So Frank refrained from saying anything to Gerard, and instead focused on finishing prepping the food.

It took a while, but at last he was placing the pan in the oven, and turning on the timer.

Gerard knew something was up when Frank turned around with a large grin on his face, and he watched suspiciously as Frank sat down next to him.

"So, Gee..." He spoke, the grin never faltering. "You know how I'm going on tour next week?"

"Yeah..." Gerard frowned, wondering why Frank was smiling so big about him leaving. "What about it?"

"What if... Gerard, what if you could come with?"

"W-What do you mean?" Gerard's frown deepened, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But I'm not apart of the band..."

Frank just smiled even more, reaching his hand out and grabbing Gerard's.

"We're short a stage crew person, if you help set up and tear down our set, Gerard, you can come on tour with me..."

"What?" Gerard's mouth dropped, realization finally hitting him. "Really? The band is okay with that? They're okay with me coming along?"

"I talked to the guys, and they all agreed it would be better to have someone we know, than to hire some stranger, so yes, Gerard, they're perfectly okay with you joining us, all you have to do is say yes..."

"Yes!" Gerard squealed, jumping up and pulling Frank from his chair into a hug. "I'm so happy we'll be together." He sighed, pulling away from Frank, but keeping his arms loosely around him.

Frank responded by leaning up and kissing Gerard, the kiss breaking as both of them smiled. 

"I'll go call them now." Frank beamed, hugging Gerard tightly before rushing off into their room to make the phone call.

Gerard was left with a bright smile on his face, and a light pink shade to his cheeks.

He was a little worried about living on a bus for 2 months, but he decided as long as Frank was with him, he would be happy. 

Plus all the members of the band seemed like nice guys, Gerard had only met them once or twice, but he could usually sense when someone was bad news, and he didn't get that vibe from them.

Gerard had to admit he was worried that Frank might get hassled by some groupies on tour, and now that he'd be there too, he knew he could shoo them away.

Frank returned soon after that, phone in hand, and an even bigger smile on his face.

"It's official!" He beamed, pocketing his phone. "You're coming on tour with us!"

-

Gerard was giddy as they packed their bags on the tour bus, and he kept close by Frank.

Frank just smiled and hooked arms with him, pulling him deeper into the bus to show him around.

Frank had seen the bus earlier on, but Gerard hadn't yet. 

"Condoms, fruit loops, top a ramen, red bull-" Neil went on listing everything in their cupboards. "Anything we missin' Frankie?"

"Tea." Frank laughed, walking over to him and pulling the tea which was hidden. "Don't try to pretend it's not here."

"Tea is fuckin' gross." Neil scoffed, walking over to Gerard, who was standing by the bunks. "Don't you agree?"

"I'm more of a coffee man myself." Gerard nodded.

"Ha! See!" He grinned, laughing quietly, before suddenly becoming serious. "So since you guys are, ya know, together, no sex on the bus."

Gerard turned bright red at that, and Frank just let out a humorous laugh.

"And why the fuck not?" Frank questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. 

"Okay, okay." He sighed dramatically. "Just make sure you lock the door, and make sure we're all off the bus, okay?"

"Deal." Frank laughed, suddenly noticing Gerard's discomfort, and quickly changing the subject.

Neil didn't seem to care about the change of subject, and Gerard let out a sigh as he went over to sit on their couch.

He was still nervous about living on a bus, especially because their bunks were so little, and he was sure he was going to get a concussion by hitting his head on the ceiling at some point of time.

But again, it was all worth it to be with Frank, and to watch Frank live out his dream.

Their first show was in New York, which was only an hour or so away, and their parents were going to attend it to see Frank's 'debut'. 

Frank was extremely nervous.

Pency Prep was a relativity popular band, and he was worried the fans wouldn't like him as much as who he had replaced.

Gerard knew he was nervous, because they both knew each other like the back of their hand, they couldn't hide anything from each other.

So he would often kiss Frank's cheek on the way to the venue, or tell him how great he was going to do, and other encouraging things.

It was more obvious he was nervous once they were at the venue, so much that the other members noticed.

It helped hearing about their first shows though, it helped Frank relax, even a little bit.

Gerard was nervous as well, he was afraid he would mess up set up, maybe plug the wrong cords into the wrong amp, or any other unlikely mix up.

It was finally time for the show though, and Frank and Gerard watched as the opening band took stage.

It was a packed venue, and their parents were up on the balcony. 

"I'm going to throw up." Frank groaned, turning around so he couldn't see the crowd. "Gerard, I'm going to barf everywhere."

"No, no." Gerard assured, wrapping his arms around Frank. "You are going to do great, and I'm going to be right here, okay? If you get nervous, just look at me?"

"Okay." Frank nodded against Gerard's chest, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself. "I'll just look at you."

That's the last thing they said to each other while they watched the opening band, but Gerard continued to try and calm Frank in any way he could, rather it be rubbing his sides soothingly, or kissing his cheek.

The little actions really did help, and Frank began to wonder if he would have been able to do this if Gerard wasn't here.

Probably not.

Before they knew it Frank was kissing Gerard goodbye, and slowly walking out on stage with his guitar.

The crowd cheered immediately, and Neil introduced Frank to the crowd.

Everyone cheered loudly, and Frank glanced at Gerard nervously, who in return sent him a thumbs up.

Frank kept his gaze on Gerard as he began to strum on his guitar, but soon had to turn his gaze when he had to sing.

Frank was tense for about the first minute of the song, but as time ticked by you could see him beginning to relax, slowly becoming comfortable.

Gerard grinned ear to ear once Frank finally did relax, well, become comfortable, there was no way he was relaxed as he threw himself around on stage, screaming into the microphone and shredding on his guitar.

Frank had played guitar for Gerard hundreds of times, so Gerard knew when he was really into it, and Frank was most definitely into it.

The rest of the set went on wonderfully, and the crowd loved Frank!

Gerard felt extremely proud as he watched his boyfriend, he was giving every ounce of himself to the performance, which is something that took a lot of dedication.

He wanted to kiss Frank in between each song, he wanted to rush out there and hold him, but he refrained, and settled for sending Frank the biggest smile he could whenever they made eye contact.

Eventually the set was coming to an end, and as much as Gerard loved watching Frank, he was more excited to share the excitement of his first show afterwards.

"Goodnight everybody!" Frank's raspy voice called out through the microphone, closing the show.

They all rushed backstage then, and the smile on Frank's face must of been painful, it was that big.

"That was so fun!" Frank practically squealed, setting his guitar down before tackling Gerard in a hug. "I'm so high off adrenaline I can't feel my toes!"

"You were amazing." Gerard mumbled against the top of Frank's sweaty head. "You really need a shower now, though."

"Shut up." Frank giggled, pulling away from the embrace to get a kiss instead. "The stage lights are hot as hell, okay?"

Gerard didn't get to respond before Neil had interrupted their moment, a face splitting grin across his lips.

"Frank, they're cheering for an encore, they love you!"

"Really?" Frank gasped, eyes wide as he gazed out to the stage. "Holy shit, oh my god, can we do it?"

"Hell yeah!" Neil cheered, taking a large gulp of his beer before rushing back out onstage.

Frank really looked like a kid on Christmas, or maybe that wasn't very accurate, he kinda looked like he was a sweaty teenager who just took a handful of drugs.

His eyes were wide with excitement, his cheeks red from adrenaline, his hair clinging to his forehead.

He kissed Gerard quickly, reaching for his guitar and quite literally running back onto stage, screaming into the microphone as the crowd cheered.

Frank dedicated the encore to Gerard, of course.

-

Tour life was pretty hard at first, at least it was for Gerard. 

Frank on the other hand, it seemed as if he had been touring his whole life.

It took Gerard several days to realize he should just wait to pee, instead of risking the bus turning while he was mid piss, sending him tumbling into the wall.

That happened more than he cared to admit.

Sleeping was also pretty difficult, not only was he jammed into one bunk with Frank, but the motions of the bus made him feel sick at night.

That was solved early on though, seeing as Frank would feel sick too, so they bought medicine to help with it.

That wasn't the only problem though, no, another problem was how horny Frank would be after each show.

After each show he would quite literally drag Gerard back to the tour bus, pulling whoever was in there out by their hair, practically jumping on Gerard's dick the second the door was closed.

Gerard didn't really mind at first, because honestly, watching his boyfriend thrash around on stage was pretty hot, and he found himself to be turned on after each set as well.

It seemed as if Frank's sex drive had tripled since they went on tour, and it's not that Gerard didn't love having sex with his boyfriend, it just exhausted him.

So much so that Gerard eventually had to ask Frank to slow down, joking that he might slip into a coma if Frank kept it up.

Frank had whined a bit at first, but he respected Gerard's wishes, and instead dealt with it himself, so to speak.

AKA he jerked off in the bathroom while Gerard took a nap on the couch.

So besides falling over when you pee, Frank's incredibly high sex drive, and the occasional motion sickness, tour was great.

They got to see so many cool places together, they got to meet cool people, try new foods, all the things they had talked about doing eventually when they were younger.

They were nearing the end of the tour now though, and they were both excited yet sad to be going home.

They missed their friends and family, they missed their apartment, but they'd also miss the shows every night, or the scenic views they got to see daily.

Frank had something huge planned for the last show, something Gerard knew nothing about, something that was going to be extraordinary.

He had spent most of the tour trying to convince Gerard to perform one of their songs with them, and Gerard had originally protested, eventually caving and agreeing to do one song, on the last show.

It was the perfect time to do what Frank had wanted to do.

-

"Can I change my mind?" Gerard whimpered, attempting to fix his hair in the little mirror they had in the bus. "I'm afraid, Frankie."

"Nope." Frank giggled, walking up behind his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around Gerard's waist. "And you'll do great, you sound much better than I do anyways."

"Right." Gerard rolled his eyes. "Even if that were true, they want to see you, not me."

"I'll be there too, Gerard!" Frank laughed, resting his head on Gerard's shoulder. "You're just psyching yourself out."

"But..." Gerard groaned, realizing Frank was right. "Fine."

"Good." Frank smiled, kissing the side of Gerard's head. "It's time to go now."

Gerard's body trembled with nerves as Frank lead him off the bus, now understanding just how nervous Frank had felt at the first show of the tour.

-

Gerard watched nervously from the side of the stage, chewing at his thumbnail as the set seemed to fly by.

He was singing the next song, and he was pretty sure he was about to throw up everything he had eaten that day. 

The song came to an end, and he gulped loudly as Frank looked towards him, a large smile on his face as he explained what was about to happen.

"Oh my god." Gerard muttered to himself, mentally bracing himself to walk out on stage. 

"Everyone welcome my wonderful boyfriend to the stage!" Frank called out, and as much as Gerard wanted to run away, he forced himself to walk out on stage, not wanting to disappoint his boyfriend.

The crowd cheered for him, but he refused to look at them just yet, seeing the crowd would most definitely make him throw up.

Frank looked so proud of him though, and that really helped ease his nerves. 

Not to mention Frank kissed him once they were close enough, that helped more than anything.

Gerard shakily took the microphone from Frank, squeezing his eyes shut as the music began to play.

He kept his back to the crowd as he began to sing, his voice so quiet it was barely noticeable over the music.

Frank wanted to help distract him, so he walked over to Gerard, pressed their foreheads together, and screamed the lyrics into the microphone with him.

Gerard got louder after that, and eventually he was able to sing on his own, even turning to see the crowd.

No one was laughing at him, no one was booing, in fact everyone was cheering for him.

Gerard really got into it after that, just like Frank had, and he had a huge smile on his face as he bounced around on stage with Frank.

At one point, during the quiet part of the song, someone screamed out 'fuck me'.

That made Gerard blush immensely, and Frank, being the jealous boyfriend he was, leaned over to scream into the microphone about how Gerard was his.

Then he kissed Gerard on the cheek, and continued to thrash around with his guitar. 

The comment hadn't fazed Gerard negatively at all, in fact it gave him more confidence to finish the song.

Frank however, grew nervous as the song drew to the end, and seconds before Gerard sang the last words, he snuck up behind him.

Gerard screamed the last of the lyrics into the microphone confidently, his cheek splitting smile lighting up the whole room.

Gerard turned around to find Frank, turning around just in time to watch Frank toss his guitar behind his back, and reach into his pocket.

Gerard wasn't prepared for what happened next, which was Frank pulling out a small black box, and lowering to his knee.

"Frank-" Gerard gasped, almost dropping the microphone in his hand. "What-"

Neil walked up besides them then, lowering a microphone to Frank's lips as Frank opened the small box, revealing a beautiful golden ring.

"Will you marry me, baby?"

"I-" Gerard stuttered, his eyes filling with tears as his hand covered his mouth.

The crowd was going absolutely crazy, chanting 'say yes, say yes!' 

But Gerard couldn't hear them anymore, he had even forgotten he was on stage at this point, all he could focus on was his boyfriend kneeling in front of him, asking for his hand in marriage.

Gerard dropped his hand from his mouth, opening it and trying to force out the one word he so desperately wanted to say.

His throat seemed to have closed due to all his emotions though, because as hard as he tried, he couldn't force the word out.

His head was nodding furiously before he realized it, his heart leaping in his chest as Frank rose to his feet, pulling Gerard in for the tightest hug they had ever shared. 

Tears were streaming down his face as Gerard cupped Frank's face, pulling him in and kissing him desperately.

"He said yes!" Frank called out through the microphone, making the crowd go even more wild. "We're getting married!"

Gerard hastily wiped away his tears, holding his hand out shakily as Frank slid the beautiful ring on his finger.

'I love you' Frank mouthed to Gerard, holding his hand tightly in his own. 

'I love you, too.' Gerard mouthed back, a few more tears spilling from his eyes. 'So much.'


	8. Age Thirty

Gerard groaned quietly as his alarm went off, but soon sighed happily as he gazed down at his daughters, who were snuggling against his sides.

"Babies..." He whispered, gently nudging them. "It's time to wake up."

They both whined in response, hiding their faces against his body, as if that would make him forget they were there.

Gerard knew how to wake them up though, because they had been waiting for this day for a month.

"Daddy is coming home today..." He whispered. "But if you'd rather sleep-"

"Daddy!" Cherry practically screamed, her body jolting up right in bed. "Daddy is coming home!!"

She jumped out of bed then, grabbing Gerard's hand and attempting to pull him out of bed. 

Lily hadn't stirred yet though, so Gerard told Cherry to go wait for them in the kitchen.

"Lily, honey, wake up." He spoke after Cherry had left. "We have to leave soon."

Lily ignored him though, but he knew why.

One time a while back, when Lily had refused to get out of bed, Gerard resorted to the 'kissy monster' which was him placing a bunch of quick kisses on her face while tickling her sides.

She had found that to be the greatest thing ever, and now it was the only way to wake her up.

"Oh no, Lily..." He gasped, looking around the room fearfully. "I hear him... the kissy monster is coming..."

Lily smiled with her eyes still closed, but quickly covered it up, she was asleep after all.

"Oh no, Lily..." He spoke, gently lifting himself up so he was hovering over her slightly. "Oh no, oh no, oh no-" Gerard giggled out, his head swooping down to attack her cheeks with a series of quick kisses. "Lily he's got you!" He laughed out, tickling her sides. "Lily!"

She was a fit of giggles now, squirming against the attack of tickles, her hands batting at Gerard as he continued to cover her face with kisses.

"Daddy stop!" She squealed, her cheeks red from laughter. "I'm awake!"

Gerard grinned and scooped the little girl up in his arms, holding her close as he walked them to the kitchen.

"Pancakes!" Cherry ordered from her seat at the table, fork already in hand. 

"No pancakes today, sweetie." Gerard sighed, placing Lily in her seat. "We have to pick up daddy from the airport, so we're having cereal."

Cherry whined about that, but quickly quieted down when she saw Gerard pulling out her favorite cereal. 

They had requested to add sugar to it, but Gerard had said no.

He learned that lesson the hard way, giving two little girls sugar in the morning was a horrible, horrible idea.

They complained -like always-, but ate their cereal anyways, giving Gerard a chance to start the coffee.

He was so excited Frank was coming home from tour today, he had been gone a whole month, and as much as Gerard loved his daughters, he was about to go crazy.

This is the longest Frank had been away from them, he tried to make it a point to only be gone a few weeks at a time, but this tour was too good to pass up.

Gerard had about lost his mind this month, but luckily his mother and mother in law were there to help.

They were absolutely crazy for Cherry and Lily, and they spoiled the hell out of them.

That kinda backfired in the end though, because the two little girls rarely accepted the answer 'no' anymore.

Frank would help with that though, he was able to be strict with them, where as if they pushed Gerard enough, he'd cave.

Gerard sighed happily as he finally had his coffee, leaning against the counter as he watched his beautiful daughters eat their breakfast.

When they were finally done, and Gerard had drank enough coffee to not want to die, he led each girl into the bathroom, so they could take their morning bath.

This was a struggle each day, they never wanted to bathe, and then when they finally did, all they wanted to do was play with their bath toys, which they did not have time for today.

"You know the drill, no messing around today, we have to leave to pick up daddy in an hour." Gerard ordered, helping his children out of their pjs, and into the warm bath. 

Surprisingly, they didn't argue this time, they didn't fuss when he helped undress them, and they didn't fuss as he washed their hair.

They still played with their toys, but they usually fought Gerard when he tried to wash their hair.

He would have been suspicious, but he figured they were just excited to finally see Frank again.

He knew he was.

"Thank you two for behaving." Gerard spoke softly as he turned on the shower head, rinsing them off after they had drained the bath. "Maybe we can pick up ice cream with daddy later."

"Really?" Cherry gasped, eyes wide as Gerard went to retrieve two small fluffy towels. "With sprinkles?!"

"And fudge!?" Lily chimed in, lifting her arms as Gerard began to dry her with the towel.

"Of course." He giggled, wrapping the towel around her small frame before starting on Cherry.

Both little girls cheered happily, and soon followed Gerard out of the bathroom, and into their shared bedroom.

"Daddy, can we wear our pretty dresses?" Lily questioned timidly as she sat on her bed, waiting for him to bring her clothes. "It's nice outside!"

Gerard's mother had bought both girls spring dresses, but it hadn't been nice enough for them to wear them yet.

Lily was right though, it was nice outside today. If they brought a jacket along with them they should be fine.

"I don't see why not." Gerard smiled, opening their dresser and retrieving the dresses along with a pair of underwear for each of them. 

Both girls squealed with joy, and jumped off their bed, tossing their towels and eagerly getting dressed with Gerard's help. 

"We're gonna look so pretty." Lily giggled as she pulled on the dress. 

"You always look pretty." Gerard corrected, taking their hands to lead them back into the bathroom. "Which bows do you wanna wear today?"

"Purple!" Called out Cherry. "Pink!" Returned Lily.

Gerard retrieved the correct bows, and gently ran a comb through their wet hair. 

They would never let him blow dry it, so he didn't even attempt to, he simply clipped the bows in their wet hair.

"Okay." Gerard sighed, looking over the two girls to figure out what he was forgetting. "Breakfast, bath, underwear, dress- teeth! We need to brush our teeth."

He reached into their bathroom mirror, retrieving the tooth paste and princess toothbrushes.

"Daddy I don't wanna." They both pouted, sending him the best puppy dog eyes that they could.

That usually worked too, but not since their last dentist trip, where the dentist had scolded Gerard for not making them brushing their teeth.

That was an awful experience, he wasn't going back to that.

"Daddy has to do it, too." He tried, squeezing a tad bit of toothpaste on their brushes, before doing his own. "See?" He began to brush his teeth then, and luckily they followed suit.

He lifted each one to where they were sitting on the counter, so he could watch both of them and make sure they were brushing right.

They mimicked his every motion, he brushed the right side, so did they, he spit into the sink, so did they. 

It made him smile, which they of course returned.

He helped them rinse the toothpaste out then, and then ushered them into the living room to put on their shoes and socks.

While they did that, Gerard rushed back into his own room, and quickly changed out of his pajamas.

They were ready then, after Gerard grabbed their jackets of course, so he eagerly put them in the car.

"Daddy, what about my painting for him?" Cherry questioned as Gerard buckled her in safely. 

"We will give him his presents when we get home, right now all we need is the sign, okay honey?"

She nodded in understanding, and Gerard moved to the other side of the car, strapping Lily in as well.

They had made a 'welcome home daddy' sign the night before, it was covered in hearts and butterflies, the girls favorite.

Gerard went through his mental checklist one more time, and once he was satisfied with it he started the car, and left their driveway. 

On the way to the airport they made a quick pit stop, Gerard wanted to buy Frank flowers, and he wanted his daughters help in choosing which ones.

They had agreed Frank would like the purple ones, so that's the ones Gerard had bought.

They sat carefully in the front seat as they finished their journey to the airport.

Now that Gerard had a chance to take a breath, and really realize what was happening, he became extremely excited.

He couldn't wait to see Frank, he was dying to hug him, and kiss him, and hold him close at night.

A month was way too long for him.

Luckily, they had arrived just as Frank's plane was landing, and they waited eagerly by the gate, the welcome home sign on view, and the flowers hidden behind his back.

Gerard couldn't help the smile that broke out onto his face as the first person appeared, and then the next, and the next, until-

"Daddy!!" Lily and Cherry squealed, bolting towards a very tired looking Frank. 

Frank's tired face instantly lit up though, and he fell to his knees, catching Lily and Cherry as they leaped into his arms.

"My beautiful girls." He sighed, squeezing each of them softly, and placing a kiss to their heads. "I've missed you so much."

Gerard watched from a few feet away at their reunion, and smiled as the girls showed off their dresses, twirling around and giggling when Frank told them how they looked like princesses. 

The girls were hogging Frank, but Gerard had expected this, and he was patient, he would wait for his turn.

Finally though, Frank had distracted them by asking them to hold his carry on bag (they were always so eager to help him), and he was able to walk over to Gerard.

"Gee, baby-" Frank breathed out, practically tackling Gerard in a hug. "Missed you so god damn much-"

"Missed you too." Gerard mumbled against his shoulder, lifting his head slightly to kiss Frank's cheek. 

Frank grinned as Gerard held out the flowers as they pulled away, and instantly cupped Gerard's face with both of his hands, pulling him in for a much needed kiss.

"I love you." Frank mumbled out as the kiss broke, kissing him quickly one more time before accepting the flowers. "They're beautiful."

"We picked them out!!" Cherry announced proudly, walking up and grabbing Frank's hand. 

"Well I love them." He smiled, leaning down to pick her up, and place her on his hip.

Gerard did the same to Lily, and they retrieved Frank's bags, before eagerly leaving the airport.

Like promised, they went to get ice cream.

It felt like dejavu in that ice cream shop, something about watching their daughters gaze through the glass at the ice creams, or the way they would swap cups to try the others ice cream; it just felt so familiar, and it made them both feel extremely happy.

-

Frank loved the paintings Lily and Cherry had made him while he was away, and they loved the gifts he brought back as well, which were two fluffy stuffed animals.

It was the end of the night now, and Frank had fallen asleep on the couch while watching a movie with the girls, and they had fallen asleep as well, snuggled up against his sides.

It was getting late though, and as much as Gerard hated to break up the adorable moment, he knew the girls had to go to bed in their room.

So he woke Frank up quietly, and Frank startled awake, gazing around in confusion before he realized he was back home.

"Bedtime." Gerard whispered, gesturing to their daughters.

Frank nodded with a yawn, and gently scooped up one of them in his arms, and Gerard did the same.

They carried their sleeping girls into their bedroom, and tucked them into bed, kissing them both goodnight.

They picked up the house silently after that, both of them exhausted from their long day.

The girls had been energetic the entire day, and it definitely took its toll on Frank and Gerard.

Luckily it was bedtime though and they could both get the rest they craved, they could catch up tomorrow.

However, there was something Frank wanted to do before they went to bed, and that was give Gerard the present he had bought him in Paris.

"You didn't think I forgot to get you a present, did you?" Frank grinned as they entered their bedroom. 

"Of course not." Gerard smiled, taking off his clothes of the day. "I was being patient."

"Close your eyes." Frank ordered, an excited smile on his face. "Okay... open!" He ordered a few moments later, revealing a beautiful snow globe to Gerard.

It had the Eiffel tower in it, with pieces of glitter swirling around it.

"Oh, Frankie." Gerard sighed dreamily, shaking it up a bit. "It's beautiful."

"I saw it, and just knew I had to get it for you." 

"Thank you." Gerard placed the snow globe on their night stand, going over to hug Frank. "I love it."

"I knew you would." Frank giggled, pulling away so he could undress as well. "Now let's go to bed, I'm fucking exhausted."

Gerard nodded and climbed into bed, a smile on his lip as Frank climbed in too.

"Missed you so much." Gerard sighed, pulling Frank against him. 

"I missed you too." Frank shifted his body, so he could kiss Gerard.

They stayed like that for a long time, holding each other closely, and kissing softly, their hands trailing along the others body, just to feel them.

"Mom said she'd take the girls for the afternoon tomorrow-" Gerard breathed out in between their kisses. "So we could catch up-"

"I'd love to catch up with you." Frank mumbled, nibbling on Gerard's lower lip softly. "Almost don't wanna wait-"

"Frankie-" Gerard whined as Frank's hand grazed over his ass. He knew his daughters, and he knew that they would probably be waking up soon, and wandering into their room, that had happened practically every night since Frank left. "Lily and Cherry could come in at any minute-"

Sure enough, before Frank could even respond, there was a quiet knock on the door.

"Fuck." Frank groaned, pulling away from Gerard. "God damn it."

The two little girls entered the room then, their new stuffed animals in hand.

"Daddy, we wanna sleep with you." Frank went to object, but they quickly spoke again. "Please? We missed you."

Frank sighed and gazed over at Gerard, mouthing 'tomorrow you're mine', before scooting over on the bed, and letting the girls in.

"Only for tonight, okay?" Frank tried to sound stern, getting comfortable as his daughters climbed into bed. 

"But daddy let us sleep in here every night." Lily pouted, and Frank raised an eyebrow at Gerard, who pretended he didn't see it.

They were trying to ween the girls off of sleeping in their bed with them, they were getting to that age where they had to be able to sleep on their own. 

They were almost six, after all.

And as much as Frank loved snoozing with his daughters, six was too old to be sleeping in your fathers bed every night.

"Well, daddy is in trouble then." 

-

Frank was the one to get the girls ready the next morning, letting Gerard sleep in for once that whole month.

Frank missed the routine with his daughters though, he missed making them breakfast, and he missed playing with their bath toys with them, and he missed doing their hair, as gay as that sounds.

Gerard was out like a rock, sprawling out on the bed now that it was empty, lying on his back while his snores filled the quiet room.

He was exhausted after this past month, taking care of two little girls was a lot more work than you'd think.

He couldn't imagine anyone doing it on their own, and those who could, were definitely superheros in his mind.

Donna picked up the girls earlier than originally planned, which gave Frank a little bit of extra time to do some laundry, and make Gerard breakfast.

Gerard deserved this little extra pampering since he had taken care of the girls all month.

"Wake up, my love." Frank whispered, nudging Gerard's side softly. "I made you breakfast."

Gerard let out a quiet sound, his face scrunching up in the adorable way it always did as he started to awake from slumber.

Frank couldn't help but smile as he watched him, it was a sight he'd never get bored of seeing.

Gerard let out another little sound before his eyes slowly blinked open, and he smiled lazily at Frank.

"That french toast?" Gerard yawned, stretching his tired body out. 

"And coffee." Frank grinned, holding out the tray of food as Gerard sat up in bed. 

"So perfect." Gerard sighed, half way convinced he was dreaming. "Thank you for letting me sleep in."

"You deserved it." Frank shrugged, getting comfortable next to Gerard as he began to eat his food.

He shared with Frank, like he always did, even though Frank had eaten earlier.

It was basically instinct by this point, ever since they were kids Gerard would share with Frank, no matter what it was.

Gerard had to resist the urge to giggle though, because he knew Frank was hoping he'd finish his breakfast quickly, and he knew Frank was becoming inpatient.

Frank was always like this when he returned from tour, and by 'like this', I mean a bundle of pent up sexual frustration.

Frank was a horny little bastard, it was like his hormones never evened out after his teenage years.

He was a Scorpio though, which made a lot of sense.

"On a scale of one to ten," Gerard giggled. "How sick of your hand are you?"

"76." Frank answered without skipping a beat. "And a half."

"My little gift to you before you left didn't help?"

"Not as good as the real thing." Frank shook his head. "And I rarely got to use it."

Frank had complained about being gone for a month at first, whining about how there was no way he'd survive a month without sex, (yes, it was that bad.) 

So, to help Frank feel better about that, Gerard ended up going out and buying him a vibrator. 

It had really meant to be a joke, but Frank had loved it, something that amused Gerard immensely.

"How about you?" Frank questioned. "How sick are you with your hand?"

"Not sick at all." Gerard laughed, taking the last bite of his food. "I only did it once or twice while you were gone."

"How?!" Frank gasped, his expression way too shocked to be normal. "A whole month, only jerking off twice?"

"Well Frankie." Gerard started, leaning over to place the tray of empty food out of the way. "Not everyone is as sex crazed as you."

Frank went to argue the fact, but lost his train of thought as Gerard hovered over him, and instead let out a whiny breath as Gerard pressed their bodies together.

/idk if yall need a smut warning but here you go. i cant remember if i did it before, probably not i'm sorry\

"Really?" Gerard giggled, rocking his hips against Franks, who was already pretty hard in his sweatpants. "Already?"

"I have no shame." 

"Of course not." Gerard giggled again, connecting their lips as he kept up a slow movement with his hips.

Frank wasn't having any of this slow stuff though, no, he hadn't had sex in a month, he was ready to go.

So he quickly tugged Gerard's boxers down, pausing then to gaze over his husband.

"Fuckin' missed you." Frank shivered, reaching his hands back down to pull off his sweatpants.

"You missed me, or my dick?" Gerard teased, raising an eyebrow as Frank never took his eyes off of Gerard's lower half. 

"Well, I mean, your dick is pretty nice.." 

"Screw you." Gerard laughed, leaning down and kissing Frank before he had a chance to say anything else.

Gerard had truly thought Frank would eventually get bored of having sex with him, but years went by, and nothing ever changed.

Frank always ran his hands over each inch of Gerard's body, his fingers always threaded through Gerard's dark hair, he never got bored of any of it.

Frank blindly reached towards their bedside table as Gerard continued kissing him, desperately searching for the bottle of lube they had hidden behind their lamp.

He eventually broke the kiss so he would be able to see what he was grabbing at, but Gerard didn't mind, instead he moved his lips to Frank's neck, kissing and sucking at all the right places.

Frank didn't react after he had grabbed the bottle, instead he placed it next to them and relaxed, his hand tangling in Gerard's hair as their hips moved together slowly.

He wanted more, of course, but he loved these gentle intimate moments with Gerard, and wasn't ready to stop them just yet.

Gerard had obviously grown more comfortable and confident with sexual things over the years, so he had no problem grabbing Frank's wrist, and putting his hand just where he wanted it.

Neither of the two were very dominant, in fact Gerard pulling Frank's hand down to his crotch was probably the most dominant thing he's ever done, but despite that, Frank loved when Gerard would take a little bit of control.

It showed he was confident, and that was something Frank loved to see, no matter what the situation may be.

Gerard groaned against Frank's skin as he slowly started movement with his hand, while reaching his own hand down.

Frank's body jerked against the contact, and Gerard had to pull away as a quiet laugh left his lips.

Frank still had no shame, and continued to buck his hips up into Gerard's hand, soft moans spilling from his lips as he did so.

"I'll never get over how responsive you are." Gerard giggled, lifting his body off of Frank and sitting between his legs. "Hand me the lube."

Frank didn't need to be told twice, and quickly handed Gerard the lube, shifting his body a bit so Gerard could have a better angle.

Frank resisted the urge to complain as Gerard took his sweet time covering his fingers in lube, and eventually let out a sigh of satisfaction as he felt Gerard's fingers pressed against him.

"Oh god." Frank groaned as Gerard finally pushed his fingers inside, careful not to hurt him. "You're not gonna hurt me, come on-" Frank whined as Gerard continued being gentle, his impatience causing him to push down against the fingers.

Realistically he didn't need prep, but Gerard always refused to have sex with him unless they prepped first, so Frank ignored the urge to push Gerard onto his back and jump on his dick.

Which was harder than you might think.

Frank keened softly as Gerard pressed against his prostate, and Gerard grinned to himself, making it a point to rub that spot vigorously.

"Fuck-" Frank panted, his toes curling as he clutched desperately at the bed sheets. "Gerard, please, I'm so hard it hurts-"

Frank wasn't lying, he was so hard he was spilling pre cum against his stomach.

Luckily for Frank, Gerard was starting to reach that point as well, so he finished prepping him as quickly as possible.

"I'm probably not going to last very long." Gerard spoke as he reopened the bottle of lube, in which point Frank sat up, grabbing the bottle, and insisting he do it. He hadn't touched his husbands dick in a month, he was going to touch it as much as possible before their daughters came home. "Oh god," Gerard groaned as Frank started slicking him up with the lube. "Definitely not going to last long-"

"That's okay." Frank grinned, tossing the bottle. "We're alone until tonight."

Gerard rolled his eyes at that, wondering just how many times his husband would try to have sex with him today.

He'd put money on five.

He didn't have much time to think about it though, because his body seemed to be on autopilot at this point, his hands pulling Frank's hips up while he lined himself up.

The sound that left Frank's lips as Gerard finally pushed in had Gerard's whole body shivering, his lip caught tightly between his teeth as his body came flush against Frank's.

"Fuck-" Frank whimpered, his body trembling with need. "Move please-"

Gerard leaned down to kiss Frank as he slowly began movement, and Frank's body reacted instantly, his hips moving along with Gerard's, his hand tangling in Gerard's hair.

Gerard always loved kissing during sex, and he tried to do it as much as possible, but that didn't always go so well, considering Frank was very loud when he bottomed, and the sounds always break the kiss.

Frank would always apologize, attempting to reach up and give Gerard the kissing he wanted, but failing as Gerard hit just the right spot, causing Frank to throw his head back in bliss.

"I-It's really kinda your fault-" Frank panted out, his fingernails digging into Gerard's shoulders. "I-If you weren't so good- I wouldn't be so loud-"

Gerard let out a shaky laugh and kissed Frank's cheek, knowing the second he tried to go for his lips, Frank would be crying out and ruining it.

"Like- you're so good-" Frank rambled, wrapping his legs around Gerard and pulling him against himself. "So good-" Frank whined breathlessly, hiding his face in the crook of Gerard's neck in an attempt to muffle the sounds he was making.

"Frankie-" Gerard panted, wrapping his arm under Frank's back to pull Frank against him. "Gonna come-"

"Fuck, Gee, please-" Frank cried out, throwing his head back into the pillow. "I wanna feel it-"

It didn't take much to make Gerard come, just looking down at his sweaty husband squirming under him was enough, and he was crying out hoarsely, his whole body stilling as his orgasm rocked through him.

Frank hadn't come yet though, so despite Gerard being temporarily high off hormones, he still managed to make his arm slip between them, so he could pump Frank into his release.

Which also didn't take much, Frank was close before they even started, Frank had been hard since about ten minutes after his daughters left.

So with just a few quick movements Frank was crying out, his back arching off the bed as he came all over Gerard's hand.

"Fuck yeah." Frank panted, wiping back his sweaty hair. "Fuckin' love you." He grumbled before pulling Gerard against his sticky body, holding him close.

"Frank-" Gerard laughed weakly, struggling against the uncomfortable hold. "Let me get comfortable." 

Frank let out a fake huff, but let Gerard get comfortable anyways, and then they spent the next ten minutes cuddling.

It was probably stupid, and Gerard knew that, but he couldn't get something out of his head.

The other day he was reading a magazine article that was about marriages that didn't last because the spouses had only ever been with each other, and eventually got bored of the same thing.

It talked about how some people regretted staying with the same person early on, they regretted never being able to go out and experiment.

It had stories of partners who ended up cheating, because they had grown bored of their bedroom routine, most of them had been together for a really long time, just like Frank and Gerard.

Gerard was never bored with Frank, but he couldn't help but wonder if Frank ever felt bored of him.

"Frankie?" Gerard spoke timidly, tracing a random pattern against Frank's chest. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course baby." Frank kissed the top of Gerard's head, ignoring the uneasy feeling the question had brought him. "What's bothering you?"

"Do you ever..." Gerard closed his eyes tightly. "Do you ever regret only being with me?"

"What?" Frank frowned, gazing down at Gerard, who still had his eyes closed. "Of course not, why would you ask that?"

"It's just.." Gerard sighed, feeling like an idiot. "Statistically a lot of people don't end up happy when they have only been with one person... statistically they get bored... or regret never getting out and having fun."

Frank could tell by the tone of voice that Gerard was embarrassed about bringing this up, but it didn't shock him, even this far into the relationship Gerard still got self conscious from time to time.

"I don't regret anything." Frank answered honestly, causing Gerard to finally look up at him. "I went out and had fun with you, I did everything I ever wanted with you, I'll never get bored of that, or you for that matter."

"I- I'm sorry I asked, I know it was stupid-"

"It's not stupid." Frank interrupted, smiling down at Gerard. "I worry about that sometimes too, I worry that you'll get bored of me."

"That's crazy!" Gerard practically gasped. "I could never get bored of you."

"That's how I feel about you." Frank laughed quietly, leaning down to kiss Gerard properly. "Let's go shower, so I can prove it to you..."

-

Final count was four, they fooled around four times.

It would have been five, but Gerard wanted to go out and grab a bite to eat, which Frank couldn't deny him of.

They went to a diner they had gone to as teenagers, it was actually the diner they had went to before they lost their virginity's to each other.

The place had changed so much since then, but they still loved it all the same.

Halfway through their meal they got a phone call from their mom, asking if the girls could spend the night at their house.

Frank didn't want to say yes, because he had barely gotten to see the girls since he got home, but he realized how rare it was that him and Gerard had a night alone together.

They could stay up watching movies all night if they wanted, they could have more sex if they wanted, and even better, they'd be able to sleep without the interruption of the girls trying to climb into bed with them.

So the girls ended up spending the night at their grandparents house, and Frank and Gerard were up super late; their activities ranging from making art together, to watching movies, to singing random songs together dramatically, and everything in between.


	9. Age Forty Two

"Dad, stop." Lily groaned, looking to her sister for help. "We're just graduating, not dying."

Frank was an absolute mess, his little girls were graduating high school, and he just wasn't ready to let them go.

He had started crying the second the girls had their gowns on, and it wasn't even graduation yet, they were just trying them on to make sure they fit correctly.

"I can't help myself." He sniffled, wiping his nose. "My baby girls are all grown up."

"Dad." Cherry sighed, looking to Gerard. "Control your husband."

Gerard laughed and wrapped his arm around Frank's shoulders, pulling him close.

"It's not even graduation yet, save the tears for when they walk across the stage." 

Gerard was feeling emotional as well, but he knew if he showed it, Frank would lose any ounce of self control he had, and continue sobbing until they left for college.

"But they're our babies." Frank looked up at him with sad eyes. "And they're not babies anymore.."

That hit something inside Gerard, because Frank was right, their beautiful little girls were now beautiful women.

He gazed over at the beautiful girls in front of him, their dark hair looking amazing under the graduation cap, the dark color of their gowns looking strangely appealing against their skin tone.

Gerard lost it then, and he started crying as well, falling into Frank's embrace as he opened his arms for him.

Cherry and Lily just stood there and watched as their fathers cried into each others arms, trying to ignore the fact that it was starting to make them emotional as well.

"Guys stop-" Lily eventually pleaded, feeling her emotions rise to her throat. "Y-You're gonna make me cry too-"

It was inevitable then, and she started crying, rushing in between her fathers to hug them.

It was a domino effect, and soon they were all hugging each other, sobbing loudly. 

"My babies are all grown up." Frank cried, pulling away from the group hug to wipe his tears. 

Frank and Gerard now understood why their parents had cried at their own graduation, they had thought they were just being dramatic, but now they understood.

It was hard seeing your child hit such a big milestone, especially when the milestone was the end of something that kept them in your house.

Cherry and Lily could go do whatever they wanted now, they could move across the world if they wanted, and Frank didn't want that.

He wanted his daughters in his house, where he could watch over them, and protect them.

How was he suppose to protect them when they leave for college? 

Actually, he had taken measures to protect them at college, and those measures were having the girls in karate since they were ten years old.

No one was going to fuck with them, and if they tried, well Cherry and Lily would take them down.

"We gotta go." Cherry mumbled, attempting to fix her makeup. "Rehearsal starts soon."

"Yeah." Lily agreed, sniffling as she grabbed her bag. "We'll see you guys in a few hours, okay?"

Both men nodded and hugged their daughters goodbye, giving them each a kiss on the cheek like they always did, and then with one final 'drive safe', the girls were off to their rehearsal.

Frank sighed and looked up to Gerard once they were gone, and Gerard smiled down at him, opening his arms for a much needed hug...again.

"We did a good job, didn't we?" Frank asked softly, lifting his head to look at Gerard. "They're gonna be fine?"

"We did the best we could with twin girls." Gerard laughed, because really, the process of raising twins, let alone girl twins, was definitely rough. 

They went through the phase of them hating each other, then the phase when they wanted nothing to do with Frank or Gerard, and don't even get them started on puberty. 

One girl going through puberty was hard enough, now add another girl, at the same time.

There were days Frank and Gerard truly thought they were going to die.

Luckily Frank and Gerard had reconnected with Frances and Jamia from high school, and they were able to help during those dark days.

The girls were thrilled about that as well, because bra shopping with your dads was probably the most uncomfortable thing to them.

They had tried it at first, thinking everything would be fine, but then Frank kept trying to get them to buy the ones with kiddy designs on them, such as cupcakes, or flowers.

That had driven the girls mad, they were women after all, and they wanted to feel like one.

Frances and Jamia were much better shopping partners, and had found the girls mature bras, without making them inappropriate. 

Don't even get Frank and Gerard started about when the girls had asked to be put on birth control, Frank cried for days, complaining about how his 'babies' were too young to be having sex, and how he should take them out of public school and home school them.

It was Gerard to finally speak some reasoning into him, the girls were sixteen when they asked, they were hardly babies, and they were being responsible, and he told Frank he should be proud of that.

Cherry and Lily could have just gone off and had unsafe sex, but no, they came to their parents, and even asked a few questions, Frank and Gerard had raised them well, and that was just proof of it.

And look two years down the road, they're graduating high school, they have no diseases, and they had no babies.

That was a win, considering the teen pregnancy rate had sky rocketed since Frank and Gerard were in high school.

"They'll be fine." Gerard reassured Frank, rubbing his back soothingly. 

"I know." Frank sighed, pulling away from their embrace to go over and look at the collage of pictures they had put together of the girls for their graduation party. "I'm just going to miss them."

-

"We have to get good seats!" Frank exclaimed, grabbing his husbands hand and pulling him through the crowd of people. 

Gerard rolled his eyes, but grabbed his mothers hand with his free one, so she didn't get lost in the swarm of people trying to find a seat.

Surprisingly, Frank managed to get them pretty decent seats, and he had a smug smile on while they waited for the graduates because of that.

Donna had used her jacket to save the seats next to her, Linda and her husband were late, and Gerard's dad was in the bathroom.

However they all made it before the ceremony started, and they all waited with smiles as the graduates filled the stage.

"There they are!" Frank exclaimed proudly, pointing to the two girls seated in the middle. "Those are our girls!"

He began snapping pictures immediately after that, not even caring that none of them were coming out, seeing as the camera didn't know which people to focus on.

Gerard squeezed Franks hand tightly, his eyes never leaving the other man, who had the biggest smile he had ever seen before.

He would pay attention to his daughters of course, once they were being called, but for right now it was boring speeches, and Gerard couldn't stop admiring Frank.

Frank blushed when he noticed Gerard staring, which is saying something, considering they had been married for over 18 years by this point.

They never lost that passion between them.

"Pay attention." Frank hissed quietly, but couldn't help the grin that formed once Gerard never stopped staring. 

Frank rolled his eyes then, and quickly leaned over to kiss Gerard, hoping that would satisfy him enough to stop staring.

It didn't.

Gerard didn't even care if he looked creepy to the other people around them, because right now his husband was red as a tomato, and it made him fill with a sense of pride.

Making a 42 year old man blush was impressive, he deserved to enjoy that pride.

Eventually though, he was forced to look back to the stage, because they had began calling out graduates names.

It seemed like ages before their row stood up, but once they did, Gerard's eyes filled with tears.

"Cherry Iero-Way."

"Woo!" Frank screamed, despite their requests to hold applause till the end. "That's my baby girl!"

Cherry had the biggest smile ever, and she knew Frank wanted a picture, so she paused on the stage for just a moment, so Frank could get his picture.

"Lily Iero-Way."

"Woo!" Frank screamed again, this time with tears streaming down his face. "That's my other baby girl!!"

Lily did the same thing for Frank, and he quickly got the picture, sending her a thumbs up.

Frank didn't give a shit about the students after that, and he just excitedly clicked through the pictures.

There weren't many students after that though, so before they knew it, the whole room was cheering for all the graduates, and the music began to play as they left the stage.

Frank tried to collect himself after that, furiously wiping away his tears, although that proved useless, considering it was very obvious he had been crying.

Several other parents were crying as well though, so he didn't feel all that embarrassed.

After the majority of the people had filed out of the building, they all rushed outside to the statue by the water, where they had planned to meet the girls afterwards.

"I'm so proud of you!" Donna gushed as soon as they found the girls, instantly pulling the two into her arms. 

"Thanks grandma." They both replied at the same time, hugging her back.

Linda was next to hug them, although she was much slower about it, her health hasn't been the best recently, and she had to take things easy.

Everyone else followed with the hugs, including Frank and Gerard, and their fathers.

Then, much to Frank's dismay, Cherry's boyfriend walked up to them, and hugged her from behind, kissing her cheek.

"I'm so proud of you, babe." He squeezed her tightly before removing his arms and standing next to her, looking at Frank and Gerard. "Mr. and Mr. Iero-Way, always a pleasure seeing you."

The thing was, Johnny was a very nice boy, Frank just didn't like him because he was dating his daughter.

Gerard liked him, he was respectful to Cherry, he always had her home before ten when they went out, and Cherry has never once complained about him.

He was honestly the ideal boyfriend for your daughter, but none of that mattered for Frank, because not even a prince would be worthy of his daughter.

"Likewise, Johnny." Gerard smiled, accepting Johnny's hand as he held it out. "Congratulations on graduating." 

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without your lovely daughter helping me study for those final exams, and making sure I had my homework done each week." 

Cherry resisted the urge to giggle at that, because her method of teaching him the material would definitely cause Frank to have a heart attack, or commit homicide. 

But hey, if kissing, or touching her boyfriend whenever he got an answer correct helped him learn the material, then well, she was more than happy to help.

Lily didn't have a boyfriend, which Frank was grateful for, but she did have a female friend, who she seemed awfully close to.

Sexuality was never a big thing in their home, Frank and Gerard taught the girls 'love whoever you want', and they left it at that.

They never discussed it, because it didn't matter to them.

Lily was in fact close with this girl, so close in fact, that Frank almost walked in on them making out on Lily's bed once, when they were suppose to be studying.

Lily wasn't afraid to tell them about her friend in fear of judgement, but she feared how Frank would act around her, seeing as he acted like a prison guard around Johnny.

However, this friend, who was also graduating today, really wanted to be open about their relationship, and Lily promised to tell her parents about them after graduation.

So, as Rose found the group of people, Lily shyly slid her hand into hers, coughing loudly to catch everyone's attention.

"So, um, dads, you know Rose." She gestured to her with her free hand. "Well, so... Rose is kinda my girlfriend."

No one was surprised, not one single person in that group, not even their grandparents.

Gerard burst into a fit of giggles though, and when everyone looked at him questioningly, he just continued to giggle, finally spitting out 'we made a gay baby.'

They all rolled their eyes at him, Gerard was way too easily amused.

"Finally." Cherry breathed out, gazing over the two. "Took you long enough to tell them."

"You knew?" Lily gasped. "Since when?"

"You remember that time a few weeks ago, when you thought you were home alone?" Cherry leaned closer to Lily, raising her eyebrows. "You weren't."

Lily's cheeks instantly flamed bright red, and she looked over to Rose, who seemed to be having the same panic.

Frank and Gerard frowned and looked at each other, this couldn't mean what they thought it meant, surely.

"What?" They both questioned at the same time, and Lily's panic rose rapidly.

"What?" She spoke quickly, trying to sound as clueless as they had.

"Oh dear." Linda mumbled, causing Donna to laugh quietly. 

"This reminds me of that time we came home from dinner early." Donna spoke, once again catching Frank and Gerard's attention, that couldn't have meant what they thought either, surely.

However once Donna and Linda started laughing together, they knew exactly what they meant.

"I knew I heard them!" Gerard exclaimed, crossing his arms and turning to Frank. "But no, you were just so sure they were still at dinner!"

It was back when they were teenagers, their parents had gone out to dinner, and Frank and Gerard were taking advantage of that alone time.

However they did return early, and honestly, Frank knew that, but Gerard was on top of him, and there was no fucking way he was letting anything ruin that.

Frank quickly adverted the attention back to Lily, wanting to get to the bottom of what she had been doing when she thought she was home alone.

"What were you doing while we were gone?" 

"Cherry almost burned down the house!" Lily announced loudly, attempting to change the subject, and in the process throwing her sister under the bus. "Remember when you thought the window curtains changed, but we just convinced you that you guys were getting old and losing your mind? Well Cherry lit them on fire and we replaced them before you got home from your trip."

Frank and Gerard gasped, and Cherry sent Lily daggers with her eyes.

"I fucking knew those curtains changed!!" Frank exclaimed loudly, feeling slightly relieved considering he had thought he was losing his mind. 

"Well, this is awkward." Johnny mumbled, getting a nod from the girls grandfathers in agreement.

"Wow." Frank shook his head, trying to process everything that had just filled it. "Let's just get our pictures, and then we can go home and eat cake, sound good?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they spent the next several minutes taking excessive amounts of pictures, before they all headed back to the house for the girls graduation party.

Cherry was definitely going to be disciplined for almost burning down the house, and then lying about it, but it was their graduation night, Frank was going to let it slide until tomorrow.

-

Gerard was behind the grill, cooking up some hamburgers and hotdogs, along with some veggie kabobs.

Everyone else was about and socializing, and Frank made his way over to Gerard, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

"Hey, honey." Gerard smiled, leaning into Frank's touch. "Any special requests?"

"Yeah." Frank hummed, resting his chin on Gerard's shoulder. "I want a hot dog."

Gerard frowned and went to question it, seeing as Frank was, and always has been, a vegetarian.

Gerard's curiosity was quickly put to rest though, as Franks hand landed flat on his crotch.

"Frank!" Gerard shrieked quietly, giggling as he pushed Frank away. "I'm gonna burn the food!"

Frank went to respond, but was interrupted as Cherry appeared out of nowhere.

"Can you guys not?!" She exclaimed, pretending to gag, to be dramatic. 

Frank and Gerard burst into a fit of laughter then, making their daughter uncomfortable seemed to be what they did best.

"Hey, it's not our fault if we still got it." Gerard giggled, wiggling his hips.

"Gross." Cherry shook her head, rushing away from the two, half tempted to spray her eyes with bleach to forget the scene she had just witnessed.

"We still got it!" Frank giggled, smacking Gerard's ass discretely. 

"Hell yeah we do." Gerard grinned. "Now get me a plate, the food is done."

-

Once the party was finished, and everyone had left, Cherry and Lily got ready for a party their friends were throwing.

Frank and Gerard weren't too worried, they knew the party was going to have alcohol, but they also knew the girls had gone to parties like that before, and were always responsible. 

Frank and Gerard tried not to be too uptight about those things, because they knew if they were, the girls would be more tempted to be reckless.

So, they told their daughters it was okay for them to drink the alcohol if they wanted, but they were to never get behind the wheel afterwards, and they were to never get into a car with a drunk driver.

They even went so far to tell the girls they could call them at any hour, and they would come pick them up.

They had only ever called for a ride two times, because Lily usually didn't drink, and she usually drove them home.

However there were those two times where Lily did drink, and Frank and Gerard were extremely proud that she had called them those nights, letting them know she was too drunk to drive, and that they needed to pick them up.

Frank parented them how Donna had that night Gerard had came home drunk from homecoming.

They had been responsible, and Donna hadn't been angry, and that only made them want to continue being responsible.

Knowing they could have fun, and not get in trouble, really prevented them from getting into danger later on, and it worked the same way with the girls.

Frank still went over that every time they left though, even though they knew they could call, Frank always reminded them of it.

Tonight was no different.

"You'll call if you can't drive, and don't have a ride?" He questioned as the girls came into the living room to say their goodbyes.

"We will call, and we will not get into a car with a drunk driver." They both spoke, sounding almost like a robot, considering how many times they had said that same sentence.

"Good." Frank nodded, hugging each of them. "Now go have fun, but be safe. I love you."

"We love you too." They both smiled, kissing his cheeks.

They said their goodbyes to Gerard then, and kissed his cheeks as well.

Then they were off, and Frank and Gerard were left to clean up the aftermath of the graduation party.

-

A few hours later and the house was finally clean, it took so long because Frank is a perfectionist, and swept the back patio three times.

They also had a pretty big house, Frank's career as a musician had been very successful, and they were very wise with their money.

Gerard had stopped cleaning about an hour before Frank did, because really the house was clean at that point, Frank was just over doing it.

So when Frank finished, Gerard was laid out on the couch, watching Family Guy.

"You finally done?" Gerard teased, lifting his head to look at Frank. "Or are you gonna mop the kitchen for the hundredth time?"

"Bite me." Frank rolled his eyes, pushing Gerard aside so he could lie on the couch with him.

Gerard took things very literally though, so once Frank was settled in front of him, he latched his teeth onto Frank's shoulder.

Frank didn't even react though, he knew how Gerard was, and he had been expecting this.

"I never did get my hot dog..." Frank spoke softly, pushing his ass back against Gerard's crotch.

Gerard laughed quietly at that, and wrapped his arm over Frank's torso, pulling him close. 

"Sorry, fresh outta hot dogs, I got a nice dick though."

Frank scoffed dramatically and pulled Gerard's arm away, shifting his body so he was facing Gerard.

"Well, what the fuck am I suppose to do with a dick?" 

"I have a few suggestions." Gerard giggled, leaning forward to kiss Frank.

They didn't have sex very often, not now that the girls were older, and for some reason always awake, but when they did, it took some time for them to get ready.

They were forty two after all, their sex drive wasn't how it used to be.

Good thing they loved kissing each other, because it took a lot of that, along with touching, for them to get it up.

They continued kissing, and moving against each other softly, but unfortunately for them, just as they were getting somewhere, Frank's phone rang.

Frank sighed and pulled away from Gerard, grabbing his phone and showing it to Gerard, so he could see it was Lily calling him.

"Hey, dad?" Lily spoke, and clearly she had been drinking. "I-I can't drive, can you come get us?"

Frank climbed off of the couch and searched for his shoes, Gerard following behind.

After he got the address from Lily, he told her they'd be there in 15 minutes, and to wait outside.

Frank was a little bummed that his time with Gerard had been interrupted, but he'd much rather have his time interrupted instead of having sex with his husband, just to find out later that his daughter had been in a car accident because she tried to drive home.

Lily and Cherry were waiting outside like Frank had told them to, and Frank frowned when he noticed Cherry clutching her hand.

His frown deepened as they walked to the car, and he quickly got out, to make sure she was okay.

"What happened?" He questioned, looking over her hand which appeared to be swollen, and then her foot, that she had been limping on. 

"Bitch tried touching Lily." She shook her head. "Nope."

"And your foot?" 

Cherry giggled then, lifting her finger and pointing it at Frank, for a reason he did not know. 

"Bitch ain't having no babies any time soon." 

"That's my girl." Frank sighed, helping her into the back seat, along with Lily.

"What happened?" Gerard asked Frank once he got back into the drivers seat.

"Someone tried touching Lily, so Cherry punched them and kicked 'em in the balls."

"Good girl." Gerard smiled at his daughter through the rear view mirror.

She grinned and attempted to fire finger guns at him, but failed miserably.

Gerard resisted the urge to laugh at that, and managed to stay quiet the rest of the ride home.

-

Frank gave Cherry an ice pack for her hand once they got home, and gave both girls a glass of water, ordering them to drink it all.

Lily wasn't nearly as drunk as Cherry was, which Frank and Gerard were grateful for, because that meant Lily would be able to help Cherry get ready for bed.

Which she did, of course, and Frank and Gerard were able to relax once they knew their daughters were safely in their beds.

Gerard had gone into their bedroom first, and when Frank entered too, he was a little shocked to see Gerard hard.

"Don't know how this happened." Gerard giggled, tugging down his boxers. "But we can't let it go to waste."

Frank grinned before locking their door, and kicking off his pants.

Gerard was right, after all.


	10. Age: Fifty Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, I would like to apologize for this late update, I had surgery a while ago so I couldn't write for a while and then I seemed to only have inspiration for my other fics lmao. This is depressing as hell at first, and I apologize, I'm blaming it on the fact that my friend passed away recently and I am sad about it.

They sat beside her hospital bed, holding tightly onto her fragile hand as she stared back at them sadly.

Donna was dying.

Frank and Gerard's heart were just starting to mend after losing Linda, and now Donna had a stroke, leaving her days limited.

"I don't want you to go." Gerard whispered, tears filling his eyes. "Please don't go."

Frank held Gerard's free hand tightly, trying his best to sooth the ache they both felt in their hearts.

"Honey, it's my time..." she whispered, pulling Gerard's hand up to her lips to kiss his knuckles. "Don't you worry about me, okay? I'll be with grandma, and Linda, and I'll be happy."

Gerard lost it then, he started sobbing uncontrollably, his body climbing into the bed with his mother, so he could hold her close.

"I love you mom." He sobbed, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, baby." She sniffled, her own tears forming. "You and Frank have made me so proud."

She gestured for Frank to climb on the other side of the bed, which he eagerly did, wrapping his arm around her with his hand resting on Gerard's side. 

"I love you, Donna." Frank sniffled, trying his hardest to stay strong for Gerard.

It was extremely difficult though, Donna had been like a second mom to him for as long as he could remember, and after losing his first mom, he couldn't bear to lose her.

"I love you too, Frankie."

They laid there and reminisced on old times, she told them stories about their childhood that they had forgotten with time, and they told her all the wonderful times they had with her.

They stayed like that for a long time while they waited for the rest of the family to show up and say their goodbyes; Cherry and Lily had moved to Oregon for college, and ended up living there, so they were currently on a flight back to Jersey.

Donald was asleep in the corner, having been awake all night to keep her company while they waited for Gerard and Frank to get the news about her stroke.

Frank's dad had moved down to Florida after his wife passed away, the pain of living in their memories was too much for him, so he moved into a retirement home down south. 

Cherry and Lily arrived a few hours later, their family in tow.

Cherry had married Johnny, and had two daughters with him, and Lily married a girl named Mary who she had met during her second year of college.

Rose and her didn't want to do the long distance thing, so they unfortunately broke up a few months after graduation.

"Girls." Frank breathed out as they entered the room, gently getting off the bed and pulling them both in for a hug. "I've missed you so much."

"Grandpa!" Cherry's daughters exclaimed, hugging tightly at both of his legs. 

"And my favorite granddaughters." He grinned, reaching down to pick each of the girls up, and place them on his hips. "How was the flight?"

"As well as you'd imagine it to be with two girls under the age of six." Lily sighed, rubbing her tired eyes. "How is she?" She gestured towards Donna, who had fallen asleep snuggled up next to Gerard.

"Not good." Frank whispered sadly, gazing to the floor. "The doctors said her health is rapidly declining, they only gave her a few days."

"Oh god," Lily's eyes filled with tears, and Cherry fought her own tears off, knowing that if she started crying, her daughters would lose it.

"H-How's Johnny?" Frank changed the subject, hoping for better news than the news he just gave.

"He was stationed in Iraq, but he should be coming home next month." She smiled. "I talked to him earlier through skype, he gives his best wishes and is sorry he couldn't be here."

Johnny joined the military after high school, and a few years later, he was deployed.

He had been on many tours though, and he always came back to Cherry and his girls.

Frank had finally dropped his grudge against him, how could he despise someone who made his daughter so happy, or who was fighting for his freedom?

"W-We'll have to come visit when he's home." Frank stammered out, still trying to ease the pain that could be felt by anyone in the room. "Gerard and I could use a little vacation anyways."

"That would be nice." She smiled sadly, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. "Dad, you don't have to be strong for us, you can cry."

Frank nodded his head slowly before putting the girls back down, letting his tears flow freely then.

"Cherry, Lily?" Donna spoke quietly, awaking from her quick nap and noticing her granddaughters. "Is that you?"

"It's us grandma." They both moved over to her, while Frank kept the little girls busy. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that I get to see my favorite granddaughters." She smiled weakly, looking towards Gerard who was still sleeping quietly. "He's not doing too well, though."

"Oh, grandma." They both sighed, Cherry allowing her tears to fall after Frank took the girls to the waiting room to play with the toys they had there. "I'm so sorry we haven't visited as much as we should-"

"Oh hush." Donna waved them off, a weak smile against her lips. "You two are living your life, that's what you need to do. How's your solider husband, by the way?" 

"He's good." Cherry sniffled. "He wishes he could be here."

"You let him know I appreciate the thought." She spoke, suddenly having a violent cough attack, which awoke Gerard.

"Mom- Lily, Cherry?" He gasped, quickly rushing over to the other side of the bed after his mother stopped coughing. "I've missed you two so much." 

"We missed you too, dad." They sniffled against his shoulders, hugging him as tight as possible. 

He kissed the side of their heads as they pulled away, before glancing around the room.

"Where are my grandkids? And Frank?" 

"They're in the waiting room, if you want to go check on them..."

Lily wanted to be with her grandma and sister alone, and Gerard caught onto that, so with one more hug, he set off to find Frank.

The girls noticed him before he noticed them, and only when they screamed out 'grandpa' he became aware of where they were.

He grunted as they tackled him, but hugged them back strongly anyways.

"You guys are too strong for my old self." He sighed, kissing the top of their heads. "You hungry?"

They both cheered at the mention of food, so Frank and him took them down to the cafeteria. 

Frank and Gerard stayed silent as they walked, but that didn't mean it was quiet, no, the girls were talking a mile a minute about their flight to Jersey.

Frank and Gerard were both just too sad to really talk, but they managed to send their grand daughters a smile each time they looked back at them. 

"It hurts so bad." Gerard whispered, leaning against Frank as the girls munched down on their food. 

"I know, Gee." Frank sighed, kissing the side of Gerard's head. "But we'll get through this."

-

Two days later, with her family surrounding her, Donna left the earth.

She knew it was going to happen, she said she just had a feeling, and sure enough, a few hours later, the heart monitor slowly stopped beeping.

Frank and Gerard held each other while they cried, and Lily and Cherry did the same, only with Donald in the middle.

There was nothing that could help the ache they all had in their hearts, not even the love they all had together as they embraced.

They didn't want to let the doctors take her away, they wanted to pretend she was sleeping, they wanted to pretend they had more time.

The hospital allowed it for a little while, so they could say their final goodbyes, but eventually they had to take her away.

The only thing that had distracted Gerard from the pain in his heart, was the worry for his father.

His father seemed off, and after they took Donna away, he just sat in the corner, staring blankly off into space.

His father was heart broken, the love of his life for the past 50 years was gone, and he could physically feel his heart breaking.

The nurses advised Gerard to keep him company, make sure he felt loved, and keep him occupied, because it was very common for older people to pass away soon after their spouses do; it was called 'broken heart syndrome' there was no medical reasoning for it, it was just very common for it to happen.

He had his father stay with them for a while after that, trying desperately to be strong for him, but as time went by he didn't seem to be getting better.

In fact it seemed to get worse, especially after her funeral.

He didn't talk to anyone, he didn't eat any food, he just had that same blank look on his face.

The funeral service was lovely though, they had made it more of a celebration than a funeral, they wanted to celebrate her life, not mourn it.

Frank gave a speech that threw Gerard over the edge, causing him to cry hysterically while his daughters tried to comfort him.

"I'll always remember her smiling face, no matter what was going on in her life, Donna always had that beautiful smile, and that beautiful smile had the ability to cure any heartache. She was always so supportive of Gerard and I, no matter what we wanted to do, she told us to shoot for our dreams-"

The speech had continued on for a long time, Frank sharing fond memories, telling all the guests about how wonderful a woman she was, even though they already knew it.

He teared up while he stood in front of all those people, but he managed to stay somewhat strong for Gerard, who was taking it much harder than he was.

Which was saying something, because Frank loved Donna with his whole heart, it would be hard to beat feeling more heartbroken than he was.

After the service was over everyone gave them their condolences, and Gerard tried to be polite, but he really just wanted to go home and cuddle with his husband.

He needed to forget, just for a little while, and Frank would be able to help him with that.

He didn't say that aloud, but Frank knew his husband, so he thanked everyone for attending the service, before driving back to their house.

Lily and Cherry were still in town, so they took Donald and the girls out, hoping to find something to do to distract them.

"Hey..." Frank whispered as Gerard made a beeline towards the bedroom. "Let's take a bubble bath, that'll make you feel better."

Bubble baths were Gerard's weakness, which was odd considering his age, but Frank never questioned it.

"Okay." Gerard mumbled, turning his direction towards the bathroom.

They had one of those Jacuzzi styled tubs, with squishy gel walls, and gentle jets that massaged your back.

Frank poured the bubble bath into the tub as the faucet ran, and then he grabbed Gerard's favorite candles, and lit them to fill the room with the calming scent.

Frank gestured for Gerard to get in after the tub was relatively full, and then shed his own clothes, climbing in behind him.

"Thank you..." Gerard sighed as he leaned back against Frank's chest, resting his head on his shoulder. "This is making me feel better already."

"I'm glad." Frank whispered, running his hands up and down Gerard's sides soothingly. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"A kiss." Gerard mumbled, turning his head to gaze at Frank. "Or three."

Frank pressed his lips against Gerard's instantly, putting as much passion into it as he did when they were teenagers.

Gerard shifted and snuggled against Frank's chest then, letting his tears flow freely once again while Frank cradled him in his arms.

Frank knew there were no words to help the pain, so he just held Gerard for as long as he wanted, kissing the top of his head every few moments.

-

Donald didn't get better, no matter how hard everyone tried, his broken heart was never mended; before long he had joined Donna up in the clouds, where they would spend the rest of eternity together.

Gerard knew it was coming, he knew from the second he saw that look in his fathers eyes, so he was able to spend the rest of his fathers life with him, trying to make his final days the best he could.

It was extremely draining on Gerard's health losing both of his parents in the time span of two months, but he managed to survive it with Frank's help.

If it hadn't been for Frank holding him for countless hours, making him tea in the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep, or simply kissing him whenever he cried, Gerard would surely have lost it by now.

On a brighter note, Lily and Cherry were planning on moving back to Jersey with their families; losing Donna and Donald so close apart made them realize how important family was, and they wanted to be around their fathers.

With time things got better, especially with their daughters and granddaughters around, and before he knew it, Gerard could think about his mother and father without bursting into tears again.

He was depressed for a long time after their death, but he eventually realized that he didn't want to waste away his life that way.

He wanted to live, and create memories, and he wanted his daughters and granddaughter to have good memories of him after he was gone, not memories of him staying in bed all day, or showering once a week.

It didn't happen over night, of course, but as time ticked by he slowly became his old self, and the memories they created after that were memories of a lifetime.

-

Frank was taking the whole family on vacation, Gerard, Lily and her wife, Cherry and Johnny, and their two granddaughters.

Even after his band broke up, Frank still had a hefty amount of money in his savings, and since Gerard made a lot of money on the art he made, he never had to use it.

But he decided a cruise to the Bahamas with his family would be the perfect way to spend it, so that's exactly what they did.

It wasn't just any cruise though, no, it was a Disney cruise.

Their granddaughters cried happy tears for an entire hour after Frank told them about the trip, and Cherry about cried too.

She hadn't been on a vacation since before her daughters were born, she was dying for a get away.

Johnny tried to offer to help with the expenses, of course he did, he was an angel, but Frank refused, insisting he treat them all.

So that's how they all ended up on a giant boat, filled with Disney characters.

They had three rooms, one for Cherry and Johnny, one for Lily and her wife, and then one for Frank, Gerard, and the grandkids.

Gerard thought it would be nice for Cherry and Johnny to be able to get some sleep without their children bugging the hell out of them, or whatever else they chose to do with that alone time, which in Gerard's head was all rated PG.

Maybe they'd play board games? Maybe they would watch movies? 

Sex was out of the question he convinced himself, because if he had allowed himself to acknowledge the fact that they were married, and had sex, he would not be able to sleep the entire trip.

Frank tried to ignore that fact all together, and instead focused on being able to spend lots of time with his grand daughters, who he rarely saw.

They reminded him of Cherry and Lily when they were younger, and he desperately missed those times, so having a bit of it back was wonderful.

The girls had a shit ton of energy though, and Frank and Gerard couldn't keep up with them most of the time.

Luckily for them the cruise was filled with children activities, so for the most part, they were occupied.

There were also tons of adult activities too though, like massages, and little bars, and dance rooms.

Johnny probably spent most of his time in those massage rooms, he had severe back pain from carrying all the gear he needed while on tour with the military, so the massages were like heaven to him.

He thanked Frank over and over for that, no matter how many times Frank assured him it was okay.

Frank and Gerard eventually got massages as well, the girls were having lunch with their parents, so they snuck away to relax some.

Frank understood why Johnny kept thanking him then, because the massages were amazing.

So amazing, that Gerard ended up falling asleep before it was over, leaving Frank a laughing mess as he tried to wake his husband up afterwards.

-

Cherry and Johnny were sat on their bed, wearing the fluffy robes the cruise ship provided them, fresh out of the shower. 

"I have something to tell you." She whispered softly, running her fingertips along his arm distractedly.

"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, shifting his body to give her his full attention. "Is everything okay?"

Being in the army had programmed his mind to always assume the worst, especially because most of the time when someone had to tell him something, it was that one of their stations had been attacked, or that one of his friends was badly injured, or worse.

"I-It's good news." She breathed out, slowly sliding her hand into his. "Honey... I'm pregnant again."

"Really?" Johnny gasped, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree. "You're pregnant?"

She just smiled and nodded her head, and it was mere seconds after that Johnny was kissing her, them falling back onto the bed with him on top of her.

"Oh my god." He lifted his upper body up, glancing down at her stomach. "I love you so much." 

He started kissing her again, his hand slipping through the crease of her robe, placing it flat against her stomach.

She giggled and broke the kiss, but it didn't deter Johnny, he just moved lower until he was placing quick kisses against her stomach.

"Johnny stop!" She giggled violently. "It tickles!"

He placed one last lingering kiss on her stomach, being lying his head against it, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"So you're happy?" She questioned with a smile, running her fingers through his wet hair.

"So fucking happy." He sighed, sneaking one more kiss against the skin. "How far along are you?"

"Almost three months."

"So it happened that night I got home, huh?" 

"Yeah." She blushed violently, remembering the memory vividly. 

Lily had taken their daughters for the night, and let's just say they spent that whole night catching up.

"Damn, I'm good."

"Can't argue that." She grinned, and he pulled back up, this time switching their positions, and pulling her on top of him.

"I love you." He sighed, hugging her tightly. "We gonna tell dads?"

"I was thinking tomorrow at dinner." She spoke softly, pulling her upper body off of him. "But for now... I think we should celebrate." 

He smirked as she bit her lip, mumbling about how he couldn't agree more.

-

"Frank-" Gerard groaned, covering his ears with a pillow. "If these girls do not go to bed I'm going to lose my mind."

Their rooms were very small, and the beds were right next to each other, so when the girls refused to sleep, Gerard most definitely suffered.

Frank was getting grumpy too, it was nearing midnight, and they had the entire day full of activities, he needed his sleep.

"Hey." He snapped, lifting his gaze to the giggling girls. "If you don't go to bed, we're not playing on the water slide tomorrow."

That had been the girls favorite activity so far, so that threat was more than enough to at least make them pretend to be sleeping.

"Thank you." Gerard sighed happily, snuggling closer to Frank. "Love you."

"Love you too." Frank grinned, kissing the top of Gerard's head, finally falling asleep.

-

Lily already knew Cherry was pregnant, seeing as Lily was with her at the doctors appointment, so she just sat anxiously at their dinner table, waiting for Cherry to break the news to their dads.

Frank was going to cry, she knew he was, he had cried the past two times, no matter where they were at when he found out.

She was a little worried how the girls were going to react though, because they were both too young to understand it before, but now they would be able to, and she wasn't sure if they'd be happy or upset.

"So..." Cherry cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention as Johnny grabbed her hand under the table. "I have a bit of an announcement."

"We're having another baby!" Johnny blurted out, far too excited to keep it a secret anymore.

And just like Lily had predicted, the tears started flowing from Frank's eyes before the words did his mouth.

"Congratulations!" Gerard exclaimed happily, leaning over to hug Cherry. "I'm so happy for you two."

"Another baby Cherry?" Frank wailed, not even caring if he was making a scene. "I'm so happy!"

He jumped from his seat then, and rushed over to them, pulling them both into an awkwardly angled hug. 

"No." The youngest daughter spoke up. "I'm the baby! If you have another baby I won't be the baby anymore!!"

"You'll still be my baby." Johnny tried, knowing it was useless either way, because his daughter was stubborn as fuck. 

"No." She shook her head violently, crossing her arms. "You can't have another baby."

The oldest didn't really seem to care, or maybe she was just too distracted watching the water go by out of their window.

Either way, they spent the rest of the night celebrating, even though the youngest was pouting the whole time, and for once in a really long time, Gerard felt genuinely happy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was really stupid I know, but I didn't have a big life event for them to have at this age, you know? And I couldn't skip straight to hella old because I feel like that would be too big of a jump
> 
> Anyways so this book is almost over, probably two chapters left, the one where they just live happily ever after, and then one where they die in the end.
> 
> I'll probably do the happy one first, and then the sad, so yeah its almost over thank you for being patient with me and I love you all so much!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy ending

Frank was sprawled out next to Gerard on their beach chairs, watching the sun set over the water as they awaited their dinner.

"I'll never get over the sight of the sunset." Gerard sighed happily, holding Frank's hand lazily. 

"I'll never get over the sight of you in a bathing suit." Frank winked at Gerard, who in return blushed. "Or the way your cheeks still get rosy."

They had moved to a house on the lake after they became too old to take care of themselves, and they shared the home with several different nurses who cared for them throughout the day and night.

Frank had always been wise with money, and Gerard still managed to make a fortune on his art, so they were able to have the care of a nursing home in their own home.

.They lived an easy life, to say the least, they had nurses who fed them at scheduled times each day, they never forgot to take their medicine, they didn't have to worry about really anything.

"Gerard, Frank, your daughter Cherry is on the phone." One of the nurses appeared with their phone, covering the bottom part so Cherry wouldn't hear their conversation. "Are you available to talk?"

"Yes!" Gerard exclaimed happily, reaching out towards the phone. "I miss Cherry."

"Hey, honey." He greeted with a smile as he placed the phone to his ear. "What's up?"

"I have some good news..." He could sense the smile on her face. "Your granddaughter Sarah is having a baby..."

"What?!" Gerard exclaimed, sitting up right in his car. "No joke, this is for real?"

"No joke, you're going to be great grandparents."

"Ah! Frank!" Gerard squealed, turning his attention back to the phone momentarily. "I'll call you back soon, I have to tell him the good news."

He hung up before she could respond, and stared at Frank excitedly, waiting for him to guess before Gerard told him what was going on.

"David Bowie is back from the dead?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Damn, with how excited you got I was sure that was what it was." Frank sighed, feeling a bit disappointed. "We won the lottery?"

"Sarah is pregnant!!" Gerard spilled then, his teeth baring a huge smile. "We're gonna be great grandparents!" 

"Oh my god..." Frank spoke quietly. "Another person I'm gonna forget about on Christmas.."

"Frank!" Gerard scolded. "Be excited with me!"

"I am excited." Frank giggled. "I am very excited in fact, I'm just not excited about clogging my old brain with another human being."

"You'll be fine." Gerard sighed, scooting his chair closer to Frank so he could rest his head on Frank's shoulder. "I'll remind you."

"What would I do without you?" Frank grinned, tilting his head to the side and kissing Gerard's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

-

Several months later Frank and Gerard were sitting in the airport, ready to fly back to Jersey to meet their great grandson. 

It was about time they had a boy in the family, Frank thought as he thought about their long history of girls.

He was very excited though, and he would have been even if the baby was a girl.

He didn't think he was going to live long enough to meet his great grand child, but here he was, about to board a flight to meet him.

They were with one of their favorite nurses, Sabrina, who would be by their side on the flight and ride to the hospital, in case they needed anything.

Frank was known to skip his meds, so she had to be there to make sure he took them.

Frank liked Sabrina though, even when she was practically forcing pills down his throat, so he didn't mind the company.

He got the window seat of the plane though, there was no argument over that; window seat was Franks, and middle seat was Gerard's, that's how it always was.

"What's the baby's name?" Sabrina asked once they settled in their seats, trying to make small talk for the few hour flight they were about to endure.

"Dunno." Gerard shrugged. "She said she wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh, well that's fun." 

The conversation didn't really go anywhere though, and Frank and Gerard slept for most of the flight, Frank against the window, and Gerard against Frank's shoulder.

Luckily they only brought carry on bags, so once they were back in Jersey they didn't have to wait to get their bags.

Frank hated waiting, he always complained about how his life was short, and he didn't want to waste the time he had left waiting for his bags.

Sabrina dealt with all the other things, such as renting a car, and driving them to the hospital.

Frank and Gerard were basically lazy shits at this point, but they figured it was allowed considering how hard they worked in their youth.

Gerard practically raised two girls on his own, and Frank was touring nonstop once the girls were old enough to take care of their own basic needs.

"Dad-" Cherry sighed happily as the two entered the room, rushing over to them and pulling them both in for a hug. "I've missed you guys."

"We've missed you too." Gerard sighed as well, leaning into his daughters embrace.

"How's living like kings treating you?" She giggled, raising an eyebrow at Sabrina, who was standing by the doorway.

"Fuckin' wonderful." Frank threw up his hands dramatically. "What's it like being a grandma?"

"I feel old." She mumbled. "It seems like just yesterday she was a baby herself."

"Hey, at least you're not a great grandma." Gerard tried, knowing the term he now held made him feel extremely old as well.

"Hey." Frank snapped, glaring at Gerard. "We're great grandpas because we're great." 

"Whatever you say, honey." Gerard giggled, looking over Cherry's shoulder to see Sarah holding a baby. "Can we meet the little guy now?" 

"Oh!" Cherry gasped, like she had forgotten about the child. "Of course." 

She ushered them over to Sarah then, who was looking extremely exhausted.

"Hey, grandpa Frank and grandpa Gerard." She smiled tiredly at them, shifting the baby in her arms so they could see him better. "Meet your first great grandchild."

"What a handsome feller." Frank commented, bopping his noise. "What's his name?"

There was a silence then, and Sarah glanced up to Cherry with a small smile before finally speaking.

"His name is Frank G Anderson." 

"What?" Frank practically gasped, blinking away the tears that were threatening to form. "Frank... like me?" 

"And G, like me?" Gerard added, also fighting off tears.

"We named him after you..." She smiled. "I wanted to name him after two of my favorite people."

That's when they lost the battle of holding back the tears.

"That is so sweet." Frank sniffled. "Can I hold him?" 

"Of course." She nodded, gentling handing him the baby.

"Frank." He whispered, letting the baby play with his finger. "You've got a big name to live up to now..."

The room erupted into quiet laughter then, and Frank just held the baby close, kissing the top of his little head.

"He's beautiful." Gerard sighed, wrapping his arms around Frank's waist from behind, resting his head against Frank's shoulder. "Almost as beautiful as you."

"Knock it off." Frank laughed, swatting Gerard away with his hand. "You ain't getting none of this just because you sweet talked me."

"Dad!" Cherry cringed, but really, she should have been used to it.

Her fathers always flirted, nothing ever stopped them, especially not age.

"Oh we're just playing!" Frank gasped dramatically, deciding to torture her a little bit more. "Besides, we can't even do that anymore...we've tried."

"Gross." Sarah cringed, covering her face with her hands. "But slightly goals."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Gerard frowned, not sure if what she had said was a compliment or insult.

"It's a good thing, grandpa." She giggled quietly. "It means I want a relationship like yours when I'm 70."

"Oh..." Gerard spoke then, moving back towards Frank. "Then yeah, goals." He kissed Frank's cheek then, causing the other to grin widely.

-

They ended up spending a week up in Jersey, wanting to spend as much time as they could with their family, considering they only got to see each other on holidays.

It almost felt like the cherry on top of their life, spending the week with their daughters, and grand daughters, and new great grandson.

It was like their whole life was building up to this moment, and when they finally returned back to their new home, they felt content with everything.

And that's how they spent the rest of their life, not feeling an ounce of regret with their lives, sitting happily next to each other watching the sunset, making inappropriate jokes, and of course, trying to figure out a way to have sex again.

They were Frank and Gerard after all, and Frank and Gerard loved sex.

The End.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death ending

Major character death warning

Frank and Gerard were probably the most loved and most hated clients at the nursing home, they warmed everyone's hearts with their love, but drove everyone crazy with their shenanigans.

The shenanigans weren't anything too wild, but it was enough to have everyone on the verge of losing their minds.

One time Frank had loosened the cap of the salt, just so Gerard would have a laugh as he watched poor Edna ruin her soup with too much salt.

They also weren't suppose to share rooms, but you know damn well Frank and Gerard raised hell about that, and within a few days of their arrival, Frank's bed was being moved into Gerard's room.

Gerard and Frank lived a really satisfying life there, at least for the first year or so.

Gerard slowly started to forget things, little things at first, like what day it was, but soon it grew to bigger things, like not realizing where he was.

He had woken Frank up in the middle of the night once, tears streaming down his face because he didn't know where he was, and he was scared.

They learned soon after that Gerard had developed Alzheimers, a disease that would eventually kill him.

Frank cried that whole day after the diagnosis, he never allowed himself to think about losing his love, but now it was all he seemed to be able to process.

It didn't help that Gerard didn't know why he was crying, it didn't help that Gerard got angry because Frank was upset for 'no reason'.

However Frank adjusted to it relatively fast, and he decorated their room in anything that would keep Gerard's memories fresh in his mind.

There were family pictures, old records, even a single black rose painted simply for him.

Frank also got used to Gerard's mood swings, learning not to take it personally whenever Gerard snapped at him.

He didn't think it was fair though, he thought if any one of them were to get sick, it would be him, not Gerard.

They got by though, Frank just had to stay positive, and refresh Gerard's memory everyday about where they were, and who their family was, and things like that.

Of course Gerard never understood why Frank did those things, but he loved hearing his husband's voice, so he never doubted it.

And things went relatively well for a while, until Frank was woken up early one morning to a panicky Gerard; which wasn't unusual, Gerard woke up panicked almost everyday, what had ruined the day was the sentence that left Gerard's lips as he looked at Frank with wide eyes.

"Who are you?"

Frank just stared at him, his chest aching as he swore he could feel his heart breaking.

He knew this would happen, but he always prayed it wouldn't, he always prayed Gerard would remember him forever.

"I-I'm your husband." Frank tried to explain, the startled expression he got in return only breaking his heart further.

"No..." Gerard shook his head, looking fearful. "Help!" He suddenly cried out, gazing towards the open door of their room. "Somebody help!" 

Frank tried to avoid the tears filling in his eyes as two nurses rushed in, forcing his mouth to speak when they gazed over at him. 

"H-He doesn't remember me." He stuttered out, the words tasting like acid on his tongue.

"Gerard," one of the nurses spoke calmly, trying to help him relax. "Gerard, you're in a nursing home, everything is fine."

They continued to talk to him as they led him out of the room, taking him into the doctors office in an attempt to help calm him down.

"He doesn't remember me." Frank whimpered as one of the nurses stayed in the room. "D-Do you know how badly that hurts?" 

"I can't say that I do." She sighed, sitting next to him on his bed. "But, I do know how much he loves you, and I know that love is still there... you just need to remind him of it." Frank nodded slowly, trying to believe her words. "How about you get together some personal items, so when he returns, you can show them to him."

"Okay." Frank sniffled, blinking away the few tears that were spilling.

However, when the nurse left, that's not what he did; instead he crawled into Gerard's bed, holding Gerard's pillow against his chest while he sobbed until he fell asleep.

-

"Um, excuse me?" A soft voice pulled Frank from his slumber, and he blinked his tired eyes open to see Gerard standing there. "You're in my bed."

For a second Frank pretended it was all a dream, but after those four words left Gerard's lips, he realized it wasn't.

"Right, sorry." Frank muttered, slowly getting out of it. 

"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier..." Gerard spoke softly, his eyes cast down in the adorable manner he always did when he felt guilty. "I was just scared...and confused."

"Hey, hey-" Frank soothed, instinctively walking over to Gerard and cupping his face, something that usually comforted Gerard. "It's okay... I understand."

Gerard just looked at him, his heart doing weird things in his chest as he looked closely at Frank.

Then he had a shy smile, just like the one he used to bear when they very first started dating... Frank never thought he'd see it again, and well, it was certainly a treat for his heart.

"So... you're my husband?" Gerard questioned timidly, still gazing at Frank's face, especially as he nodded in response. "So like... we can kiss and stuff?"

Frank's heart just about exploded as those words hit the air, because the nurse was right, the love was still there, even if Gerard couldn't remember it.

He knew because this was exactly how Gerard had acted in the beginning of their relationship, exactly.

"Yeah..." Frank smiled sweetly at him, grinning when he noticed Gerard gazing down at his lips. "Can I kiss you?"

"I think I would like that very much.." Gerard admitted quietly, his eyes widening as Frank wasted no time in pressing their lips together; but then he was relaxing, the sensation making him feel more safe than he had all morning. "Oh, wow." Gerard breathed out quietly, his cheeks tinted pink as he placed his hand over his heart, wondering why it was beating so hard.

"Was that okay?" 

"For once all morning..." Gerard started, his gaze dropping to the floor. "For the first time all morning, I didn't feel so scared."

"Oh, baby." Frank sighed, wrapping his arms around Gerard and hugging him softly. "Why don't you lie down and I'll tell you about our life, okay?"

Gerard nodded timidly and let Frank help him into the bed, pulling the blankets up over his chin while he stared at Frank with wide, adorable eyes.

"We met when we were six." Frank smiled, recalling that morning at daycare. "You were so scared, and I tried to make you not scared."

"L-Like right now?" 

"Exactly." Frank's eyes watered as he grabbed Gerard's hand in his, kissing his knuckles softly. 

"Y-You're really good at it." Gerard commented, his shy gaze avoiding Frank's.

He was crushing all over again, only he didn't really realize that Frank was already in love with him.

"I'm so glad." Frank breathed out, squeezing Gerard's hand softly. "I don't want you to be scared."

Gerard just blushed and urged Frank to continue on with the 'story', and so he did; he told him about when he broke his arm when they were nine, how Gerard insisted on being there for him, which in returned made him feel safe.

He told him about how they went to homecoming as friends, and how they both secretly had wished it was more than that, or how Gerard had gotten drunk and thought the car was holding him hostage.

Gerard giggled at that part, and eventually patted the side of his bed, inviting Frank to sit with him.

"Our first kiss..." Frank sighed, hesitantly resting his head on Gerard's shoulder. "You found out I liked someone, and eventually you had me pinned to the floor as we fell during a race... you wouldn't let me go until I told you who it was, and when I confessed it was you, you kissed me."

"Me?" Gerard gasped, eyes wide. "I- I kissed you first?" Frank nodded his head slowly, a small smile on his face. "I- I feel like I would be too nervous for that-"

"But you did it, and if you hadn't, I don't think we would be together right now." Frank admitted quietly, knowing he'd probably never have confessed his feelings if it weren't for Gerard. 

"I'm glad I did then." Gerard smiled, looking down at Frank's lips, slowly moving in and kissing them.

"Me too." Frank breathed out, feeling like his life depended on every kiss Gerard gave him.

He continued on about their life then, telling him about how he shared the poems he had written about Gerard, and how he asked him to be his boyfriend...or how he painted a rose black just for him, and took him to the comic book shop, and bought him lunch.

He left out the part about them having sex, not sure if that would scare Gerard or not.

But Gerard was already thinking about it, and so even though Frank skipped it, Gerard brought the topic back.

"If we're married... does that mean we um... we-"

"Yes." Frank spoke softly, feeling like he was talking to a sixteen year old Gerard again. "We did..."

"W-What was it like?" Gerard questioned timidly. "O-Our first time?"

"Awkward and nerve wracking." Frank giggled quietly, trying to remember it himself. "You were so shy... but you trusted me, and I made you feel so good."

"D-Did I make you feel good, too?" 

"So good..." Frank whispered, placing his hand softly on Gerard's hip. "You always made me feel so good."

Gerard pressed his lips together as he blushed, looking away from Frank, and instead gazing out the window.

"Is everything okay?" Frank questioned worriedly.

Gerard simply nodded quickly in response, but Frank knew something was up, because he could see tears forming in Gerard's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I just..." Gerard sniffled, looking towards his lap. "I can't believe someone like you married me..." He turned to look at Frank then, his hand hesitantly reaching up to cup Frank's face. "You're so handsome..."

Frank kissed him then, wrapping his arms loosing around Gerard's torso, and hugging him softly.

"T-The stage-" Gerard stuttered out, pulling away abruptly. "You..." he frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together as he fought to remember. "Y-You proposed to me there?"

"Yes!" Frank exclaimed happily, ecstatic that Gerard had remembered something. "I'll show you."

He carefully got out of the bed then, walking over to his desk to retrieve his laptop, which he had saved several home videos on.

Someone in the crowd had recorded Gerard performing with them on stage that night, and was nice enough to send the band the footage of Frank proposing. 

Gerard looked shocked as he watched himself on stage, he kept making sure that it was actually him up there, which was something Frank thought was adorable.

They both teared up as the proposal happened, and Gerard placed his hand over his heart, like he was trying to slow the erratic beating.

"W-Wow-" Gerard blinked away the tears once the video ended, turning to look at Frank. "That looks like the most perfect proposal.."

"It was." Frank sighed, resting his head against Gerard's shoulder. "Do you wanna see our wedding videos?"

"Yes, please." Gerard nodded eagerly, and Frank smiled as he clicked on the 'wedding' folder.

They watched those videos for a really long time, Gerard insisted on watching them say 'I do' over and over again.

He said it was a memory he never wanted to forget, and maybe if he watched the video enough times, it would stick forever.

Frank didn't mind of course, he could watch his husband say his vows through his tears all day, his heart pounded in his chest like it had that day.

"One more time." Gerard mumbled after the video ended for the 20th time, and Frank didn't argue at all, he just hit the replay button. "We look so handsome up there."

"We do." Frank agreed, his eyes never leaving the screen. "You always look handsome though."

Gerard erupted into a fit of giggles, and he leaned over to kiss Frank, and it was one of the most passionate kisses they had shared in a long time.

It was the type of kiss that used to lead to more, the type of kiss that led them being in bed all day.

Gerard had that same thought, because as it finally broke, he rested his forehead against Frank's, whispering something Frank hadn't expected.

"I wish we could do that stuff..." he mumbled, his eyes staring into Frank's. "I wanna remember it."

"Me too." Frank sighed, placing his head in the crook of Gerard's neck. "I miss it so much."

"What's it like?" Gerard questioned timidly. "Being touched?"

Frank stayed silent for a moment, trying to figure out the perfect words to describe the feeling.

But he knew there were no words that could properly describe the feeling, only the action itself could do that.

"Do you wanna see?" Frank whispered, lifting his head to gaze at Gerard. "Nothing spectacular will happen, but you'll know what it feels like."

"Really?" Gerard blushed violently at the thought. "You'd still touch me, even though I'm old and gross?"

"I don't think you're gross." Frank smiled. "I think you're still as beautiful as when we were young..."

"Okay." Gerard bit his lip, his blush deepening. 

Frank grinned and climbed under the blanket with Gerard, his hand landing softly on his thigh.

"This is already nice." Gerard giggled quietly, glancing towards the door to make sure it was closed. 

"And this?" Frank pressed softly, slowly moving his hand over Gerard's crotch.

"C-Can you do more?" Gerard questioned breathlessly.

Frank just grinned and slid his hand down the thin fabric of Gerard's pants, and the face Gerard made as he did so reminded him of the first time it ever happened.

"Wow-" Gerard breathed out, swallowing hard as he gazed over Frank. "T-That's really nice."

There was absolutely no physically possible way for Gerard to get hard, but that didn't mean the touch didn't feel nice, because it did, it really did.

"Isn't it?" Frank smiled, leaning over to kiss Gerard's cheek. 

"Wow-" Gerard kept repeating, especially as Frank slowly moved his hand. "C-Can I touch you, too?"

"I'd like that." Frank nodded slowly, watching eagerly as Gerard's hand slowly slipped under the blanket. 

Gerard was a giggling mess once his hand was in Frank's pants, which caused Frank to laughed as well, and for the next few moments they were a laughing mess while they touched the others dick.

"Did we used to do this?" Gerard questioned after his laughter had died down, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

"We used to do it a lot." Frank giggled, slowly removing his hand from Gerard's pants. "I kinda begged you to bang me like 24/7."

"Oh." Gerard blushed, again. "A-And I did?"

"You rocked my world back in the day." Frank giggled, trying not to sigh at how nice Gerard's hand felt right about then. "We had to slow down after we had kids though."

"Kids?" Gerard gasped, removing his hand then to give Frank his full attention. "We have kids?"

Frank just smiled and grabbed Gerard's hand, squeezing it softly as he told him all about Cherry and Lily, and their adventure in raising them.

Gerard hung onto every word, and he teared up when he saw pictures of the beautiful little girls on the computer screen.

He didn't remember them, but he felt the love as he looked at them, he knew they were special to him.

They talked about their lives until the nurses came in to take them for their daily activities, which included lunch, showering time, movie night, and then dinner.

Gerard was petrified of the place, and he refused to go anywhere without Frank. 

He might not remember everything about him, but he knew he felt safe when Frank was holding his hand, so he refused to do anything without that.

They usually didn't shower together, simply because it was easier for the nurses to bath them one at a time, but they made an exception for Frank and Gerard.

Gerard had a permanent blush on his cheeks as he stood next to Frank naked, his eyes just couldn't leave the skin, he was too enthralled with the faded tattoos.

He thought Frank was gorgeous, saggy skin and all.

-

That's how life was after that, Gerard would wake up angry and confused, and Frank would calm him down, showing him home movies, and telling him about his life.

Sometimes Gerard remembered though, sometimes he woke up with a smile on his face, a warm greeting to his husband.

Those days were treats for Frank, considering most of the time he woke up to angry glares since Gerard didn't know who he was.

It was rough on Frank, he couldn't deny that, but he had promised to love and take care of Gerard forever, and he was going to do it until he took his very last breath.

The girls came to visit more frequently after that, which not only made Frank feel better, but also gave him a break in trying to remind Gerard about his life.

Gerard was always so happy when the girls came around, they always brought their dad flowers, and Gerard thought it was the sweetest thing ever.

They also snuck them in chocolates, but that was a secret.

Frank tried to ignore the way Gerard's health was declining though, he tried to ignore the fact that Gerard was sleeping more, and losing weight, and not eating as much... he knew what was coming though, and as much as he wanted to pretend it wasn't happening, he knew he had to prepare for it.

The day he sat down with his daughter to talk funeral plans was a rough one, it was full of pain and tears, but they knew it had to be done to make the process easier after he was gone.

Frank and Gerard had vaguely discussed how they wanted their funeral to be when they reached a certain age, and Frank replayed all the information to his daughters, knowing he wasn't going to be stable enough to plan out Gerard's final wishes.

Frank expressed his own wishes that day as well, he told them if he were to die soon after Gerard, he wanted to be buried with him.

He told them he didn't care how much it would cost for the custom made casket, or the funeral costs, he wasn't going to need his money anyways, so he would let them use every last penny as long as it meant he was next to his husband for eternity.

Deep down Frank knew he wasn't going to live long after Gerard passed, he would be just like his father in law, dying of a broken heart.

He wished he could avoid that, he wished there was someway they could die in the same moment, but he knew that wasn't possible.

With tears in their eyes, his daughters promised they would do whatever it took to make his final wishes come true, and he knew deep down they would.

That helped him relax a lot, knowing he could count on his daughters to do this for them.

After that was all figured out, all Frank had left to do was spend every moment he could with Gerard, knowing that every moment just forced them closer and closer to their last one.

-

It was a cold December morning, the windows were covered in frost, and the ground layered with heavy snow.

Frank woke up later than usual, and he startled awake when he realized what time it was; Gerard was always awake by now, and if Frank wasn't around to comfort him, he'd probably go into a mental breakdown.

But as Frank turned over to gaze at Gerard's bed, he was shocked to see Gerard still lying there, sound asleep.

That was the first red flag... Gerard always woke up early, always.

Frank nervously got out of bed, trying to swallow the lump in his throat as he slowly walked over to Gerard, his eyes slowly reaching the heart monitor.

They had set Gerard up on it a few weeks ago to record his heart rate as his disease worsened.

The machine beeped quietly, but all the numbers were low, way lower than they usually were.

"G-Gerard?" Frank spoke shakily, reaching for his husbands hand. "Gee, wake up..."

All he got was a weak grumble in response, but he refused to give up, and eventually, Gerard opened his eyes.

Frank almost wish he hadn't though, because the eyes he was met with weren't the bright, full of life, hazel orbs he was used to.

Gerard's eyes looked glazed over and lifeless, like the life they once held was slowly being sucked out of them.

That's when reality set in.

Gerard was dying.

"No..." Frank whispered, tears clouding his vision. "I'm not ready, please-"

All Gerard did was close his eyes again, too weak to try and respond to Frank.

Frank climbed into bed with him then, tears streaming down his face as he curled up on Gerard, desperately trying to stop the pain that was currently tearing his heart apart.

"I love you." Frank whimpered, kissing every part of Gerard his lips could reach. "I love you so much, Gerard, you know that?"

Gerard never responded, but he heard every word that Frank said, and even though he couldn't understand what was happening, the words made him feel safe.

Frank just continued to sob against Gerard, holding him as tightly as his weak body would let him.

All the preparation Frank had thought he did for this moment was gone, he thought he was ready, but he wasn't.

Gerard's heart rate just kept dropping, with every passing minute it got weaker and weaker.

Frank had been holding him for hours at this point, although the pain made it feel extremely shorter than that, like he had only been holding him for minutes at the most.

The nurses were aware of the situation, and they left Frank alone in peace for the last few moments he'd have with his soulmate.

"R-Remember when we were kids, Gerard?" Frank whimpered, trying to distract himself. "A-And you'd always draw me batman? And kiss my cheek-" He let out a painful sob. "Gerard, you're my best friend- I- I- I'll love you forever, not till death do us part- forever Gerard, I've always loved you, and I always will-"

The heart monitor started beeping then, alerting them that Gerard's heart rate was dangerously low, and Frank knew he was about to say goodbye for the very last time.

"I love you." He kissed Gerard's dry lips, keeping his lips there for as long as he could, his tears dropping down onto Gerard's face.

He kissed him until he heard the sound he never wanted to hear... the sound of the heart monitor flat lining.

"No..." Frank whimpered, pulling away, searching for any signs that this wasn't real.

He desperately placed his hand on Gerard's chest, praying he'd feel his heart beating against his rib cage, but there was nothing.

No heart beat, no rise of his chest, nothing.

"No!" Frank sobbed, collapsing against Gerard's chest, screaming at the top of his lungs while he clutched his husbands lifeless body against his own. "Wake up!" He screamed, soaking Gerard's shirt in his tears. "Gerard, please!"

He was vaguely aware of the nurses who had entered the room, but he couldn't focus on them, all he could focus on was the warmth of his husband, knowing that it was something he'd never feel again after this moment.

"Frank." One of the nurses spoke, touching his shoulder softly. "Frank we need to take him-"

"No!" Frank screamed, forcibly removing her hand from his shoulder. "Leave us alone!"

"Leave him be." Another nurse spoke, pulling the other away. "They've known each other for almost 70 years... give him a few minutes to say goodbye."

"I'll go contact their daughters then." The first nurse spoke, leaving the room to go break the news to Cherry and Lily.

"T-Thank you-" Frank sobbed, shifting his body so he could properly look down at Gerard. "My beautiful Gee." He sniffled, cupping the sides of Gerard's face in his hands. "I'll adore you until eternity." Frank whispered, leaning down to kiss his lips just one more time. 

He shakily laid next to Gerard then, his arm wrapped tightly around his waist, trying desperately to pretend that everything was okay.

Gerard would wake up in a few hours, and Frank would remind him how much he loved him, and how happy their lives were.

They stayed like that until Cherry and Lily arrived, and the tears started all over again as soon as they entered the room.

"He's gone." Frank sobbed, refusing to let go of Gerard. 

"D-Dad-" Lily spoke shakily, knowing she needed to be strong for her dad, no matter how hard it was. "H-He's in a better place now, he's not suffering-"

"What about me?" Frank sobbed, hiding his face against Gerard's chest. "He's always been there, always, I can't remember life without him-"

Both daughters were crying silently at the end of the bed, at a loss of what to do.

They were heart broken, the man who raised them was dead on a bed right in front of them, with the other sobbing against his lifeless body.

They ended up sitting on the edge of the bed, letting their tears fall freely as they tried to comfort Frank enough to say their final goodbyes.

Frank wished so desperately that Gerard had been able to say goodbye, or kiss him back... anything, but he didn't, and that left Frank feeling helpless.

How was he suppose to get closure that way?

"Dad." Cherry finally sniffled, forcing the words out of her mouth, even though they felt suffocating as they came up. "We have to say goodbye."

"I can't." Frank whimpered, knowing the girls were right though. "He's my best friend-"

"I promise you'll see him again." Cherry choked out, deep down knowing Frank wasn't going to last very long without Gerard. "And until then, h-he's with you, I promise."

"Promise?" Frank whimpered, squeezing onto Gerard tightly. 

"I promise." She managed through the tears, her hands gently on Frank's shoulders so she could help him up as he finally pulled away.

"I-I'll see you soon, Gerard." Frank sniffled, trying to let that comfort him. "I'm not saying goodbye, because this isn't goodbye, I'll see you soon."

Tears were still streaming down his face, but he allowed Cherry to help him off the bed and into the recliner nearby, so the girls could say their goodbyes.

Frank blocked their voices out, he couldn't bear hearing his daughters say goodbye to the man he loved, he just couldn't.

Sooner than Frank would have liked the nurses were back, and his daughters had to hold him back as they moved Gerard's body onto a stretcher.

Frank thought he was dying right then, the sight of his best friend being taken away felt like his heart was stopping.

If he didn't have his girls there to hug him, and kiss his cheek, he probably would have dropped dead on the floor.

The cheek kissing really didn't help though, all it made him think about was how badly he yearned for Gerard to do that, even just one more time.

"We love you, dad." Lily sniffled, helping Frank lay out on Gerard's bed. "A-And if you feel like you're going to be with dad, don't worry about us, just go be with him...we'll be okay."

They knew the only thing that was keeping Frank from downing a bottle of pills right now was his daughters, but they also knew that if his body tried to let go, he needed to let it happen.

"I love you girls." Frank whispered, out of tears by this point. "Please always remember that."

"We will." They both sniffled, climbing on the bed on each side of Frank. "And we love you."

They both snuggled up with their dad then, the exhaustion of grieving causing them to slip off into slumber.

-

The next day Frank couldn't bear staring at all of Gerard's things anymore, all they did was remind him that Gerard was gone, so he forced himself to go through everything and pack it up.

He didn't even want to do that, but he felt like he had to, it was almost like something was pushing him into going through Gerard's things.

It hurt, seeing all Gerard's old sketches he had done in the nursing home, and Frank may have accidentally ruined a few with his tears.

It wasn't until he searched through Gerard's desk that the sudden urge to go through everything made sense, it wasn't until he found three envelopes, one labeled "Frank" the others "Cherry" and "Lily".

Frank's heart hammered in his chest as he slowly opened the one labeled to himself, and he felt faint as he realized it was a letter from Gerard.

"To the love of my life...

We found out I have Alzheimers today, and I know that means that someday I will soon forget who you are... I won't be able to tell you how much I love you after that, so I want to write it down before my selfish brain makes me forget. Frank, you have given me the greatest life I could have ever imagined, you brought me joy that no one else could, joy I'm sure not many people are lucky enough to experience. I may forget your name, or our life together, but deep down the love and admiration I feel for you will remain forever. I'll probably forget to give this to you, and if I did, and you're reading this, you're either being a snoopy little shit again, or I have joined mom and dad in the afterlife. If it's the latter, I just want you to know that I'm probably much happier... it scares me when I forget, and I won't have to be scared there. I promise no matter what that I'll look over you until you join me, and I'll wait eagerly for you to join me by my side. Until then, all my love, Gerard."

The paper was blotchy from old tears, and now fresh tears from Frank.

This was the closure he needed, this was the last thing Frank needed before he could let go.

He had his daughters support, and he had his final goodbye from Gerard, he didn't need anything else in this world.

He could just relax in Gerard's bed, waiting for the pain in his chest to take him away.

He knew it was coming, he could feel it deep in his soul, he was going to join Gerard soon.

With shaky hands he pulled out two fresh pieces of paper, wanting to say his final goodbye to Lily and Cherry, just like Gerard had done.

The letters told them how proud he was of them, and how he couldn't have asked for better daughters.

Those letters were blotchy with tears as well, but he felt a lot better once he had written them and placed them next to Gerard's.

He was accepting at that point, he knew he was going to get into bed, and probably not get out of it again.

He refused everything once he was in that bed, he refused food, water, bathing, he just wanted to be with Gerard, and all those things would get in the way of that.

It was on the third night, Frank was dozing off, a gut feeling telling him it would be the very last time.

Frank's broken heart finally stopped that night, all the pain and heartache suddenly came to a halt.

He was finally with Gerard again.

The End 

And they were buried together, hand in hand, a beautiful black rose in between them, keeping their love locked in there forever.


End file.
